In the early hours of Thursday morning, a fire blazed its way through a Bukit Batok flat, injuring four residents. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was notified of the incident on the second floor of Blk 231, Bukit Batok East Ave 5 at 3:50am, and officers extinguished the flames with a water jet.
Preliminary investigations showed that the fire, which involved the contents of a living room and corridor, was caused by the overnight charging of an electric bicycle.
The four people, including one infant, suffered minor injuries and were brought to the National University Hospital, reported Channel NewsAsia.
In a Facebook post, the SCDF went on to remind the public of fire safety tips to prevent battery fires involving personal mobility devices.
Basically, don’t charge the battery overnight, and don’t leave the charging battery near combustible materials. It’s also advisable to place the battery on hard, flat surfaces during the charging process.
