In the fifth reported incident this year, a power bank caught fire at Little India MRT station, forcing staff to extinguish it.
Footage of the incident posted in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group showed flames coming out of a backpack on the station platform.
Source: Baabaasheepz26 via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
In the clip, the burning backpack was surrounded by three station staff.
One of them was holding a fire extinguisher and appeared to be about to spray it at the bag.
Two commuters stood nearby, and several others watched from a distance away.
A photo in the same post depicted the bag covered with powder from the fire extinguisher.
However, it was observed to be still smoking.
Source: Baabaasheepz26 via Complaint Singapore on Facebook
A station staff stood next to the bag as smoke filled the platform.
In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire at about 8.05am on Thursday (10 Sept).
It involved a power bank at 60 Bukit Timah Road — the address of Little India MRT station.
The fire, which likely started from the power bank, was put out before SCDF arrived by an SBS Transit staff member using a fire extinguisher.
Two people were assessed by SCDF — one for shortness of breath and the other for minor injuries.
Both of them declined to be sent to the hospital.
SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu confirmed with MS News that Little India MRT station staff had responded to an incident where smoke was observed to be coming from a bag.
SCDF was activated for assistance with the fire, but station staff extinguished the fire while waiting.
They also assisted commuters at the platform, she said.
No one was conveyed to hospital as a result of the incident, and train services were not affected.
Source: Google Maps
In 2026, power banks have reportedly caught fire in the MRT network at Tanjong Rhu MRT, Admiralty MRT and Woodlands MRT.
The most recent case before the Little India incident took place on 29 July, when a power bank emitted smoke at Buangkok station and was attended to by a Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) officer.
Two power bank fires also occurred on the MRT last year, at Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar stations.
SCDF advised the public to prevent such fires by not leaving batteries or devices charging unattended for an extended period of time, or overnight.
They may visit the Consumer Product Safety Office’s website for more safety tips on power banks.
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Featured image adapted from Baabaasheepz26 via Complaint Singapore on Facebook.