20190806 3 taken to hospital after PMD fire in Choa Chu Kang
Singapore Aug 06 2019 “Houses”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 1 to 9
3 taken to hospital after PMD fire in Choa Chu Kang
Updated: 2019–08–06
SINGAPORE: Three people were taken to hospital on Tuesday (Aug 6) after a personal mobility device (PMD) sparked a fire in a home in Choa Chu Kang.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to a fire at a flat on the third floor of Block 688A Choa Chu Kang Drive at about 11.30am.
The fire, which involved a PMD in the living room, was extinguished using a compressed air foam backpack, SCDF said in a Facebook post.
An adult and a child were taken to National University Hospital, while another adult was taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. All three suffered from smoke inhalation.
Seven people evacuated from the flat before firefighters arrived.
“Preliminary investigation into the cause of the fire indicates that it was of electrical origin from the PMD which was charging at the time of the fire,” SCDF said.
FIRE INCIDENTS INVOLVED NON-UL2272 CERTIFIED DEVICES
This is the latest in a string of fires linked to PMDs.
On Jul 22, 60 people were evacuated from Block 224 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 after a fire broke out in a flat on the fourth floor. SCDF’s preliminary investigation found that the incident was caused by a PMD that was placed in the kitchen.
Just four days before that, 70 residents were evacuated from Block 293D Bukit Batok Street 21. Three burnt PMDs were found in a 26th-floor flat, SCDF said. A man who was rescued from the unit later died of his injuries.
All PMD-related fire incidents so far involved non-UL2272 certified devices, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min in Parliament on Monday as he announced new safety measures for such devices.
For instance, the deadline for PMDs to comply with the UL2272 safety certification will be brought forward by six months to July 2020.
From April next year, all e-scooters – both new and currently registered – will have to go through a mandatory inspection.
All 15 town councils run by the People’s Action Party have decided to ban PMDs from HDB void decks and common corridors in a move to increase the safety of public paths.
In addition, pedestrian-only zones where riders must dismount and push their PMDs will soon be trialled in some towns.
Web Source: The Nation
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/pmd-fire-choa-chu-kang-3-taken-to-hospital-11785184