Fire breaks out at Sembawang flat as e-scooter charges

An e-scooter found in the aftermath of a fire at Sembawang flat. (Photo: SCDF/fb)
An e-scooter found in the aftermath of a fire at Sembawang flat. (Photo: SCDF/fb)

Yet another fire linked to an e-scooter — yes, another one — has torched the interior of an HDB flat, this time in Sembawang.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident at Block 364B Sembawang Crescent at about 5am today, adding that an e-scooter was charging at the time of the fire.

On Facebook, SCDF said the fire took place in the living room of a flat on the 12th story of the building. Luckily, there were no reported injuries (phew!).

SCDF also took the opportunity to remind the public – once again – to take safety precautions when using personal mobility devices like power-assisted bikes or e-scooters.

For example, users should not charge their devices immediately after use or leave charging devices unattended for a long period of time or overnight.

Users should, however, make sure they use power adaptors that bear the recognized Safety Mark and that their devices comply with the UL2722 safety standard, meaning that they have passed a stringent set of tests designed to reduce fire and electrical hazards.

It was amid a rash of fires that the government moved up the deadline for the UL2722 safety compliance by six months — from Jan 2021 to July 2020 — but that’s still an entire year away.

Pro Tip: Maybe it’s better to get your devices certified now than risk having your flat becoming the latest charred object lesson. The number of fire incidents in Singapore is way up this year, with 54 in the first half alone, nearly double last year’s tally, according to SCDF figures.

Related stories:

Singapore to ban PMDs from many HDB common areas, moves up safety compliance deadline

In wake of recent fires, Singapore considers moving up ban on e-scooters without safety certificate



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