People love buying secondhand items for their value for money. These pre-loved products are usually still in good working condition, and go for only a fraction of its original cost. So, what could go wrong?
If you are considering getting secondhand electrical appliances, you might want to reconsider after this recent case.
A father in Redhill had purchased a pre-loved air conditioning (AC) unit from their neighbour, worrying that his house would get too hot for his young daughter.
However, after a year of using it, the AC inexplicably exploded. Two people were also conveyed to the hospital as a result.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the fire occurred on Thursday (27 Apr) at 3.40pm. It broke out in an eighth-floor HDB flat at Block 110 Jalan Bukit Merah.
A member of the public tipped off the Mandarin daily to the blaze. They said smoke was billowing out of the unit, and many firefighting vehicles were on the scene. Walls in the bedrooms and along the corridors were also black from soot.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
The father and owner of the unit, Mr Tan, 34, told Shin Min that his wife was home with their eight-year-old son and 19-month-old daughter when the fire broke out.
When his wife noticed smoke from the AC, she ran out of the house with her two children, he said.
He added that they moved here about two years ago. Soon after his daughter was born, he bought the AC as she had sensitive skin that might break out in rashes if it got too hot.
At the time, he had some neighbours who were moving out. Hence, he figured he could buy the secondhand unit from them.
“We don’t have much money, and it just so happened that our neighbours were moving out. So, we just brought it back and installed it at our place.”
Who would have thought a small, seemingly inconsequential purchase of a secondhand unit would lead to so much trouble?
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire started from an AC unit in a bedroom.
SCDF officers subsequently put out the fire using a fire extinguisher, and conveyed two persons to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Investigations into the fire are still underway.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News.
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