Fire caused by e-bike battery breaks out at Toa Payoh flat on Monday night

SINGAPORE - A fire broke out at Block 52 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh on the eve of Chinese New Year, involving items stored at a service yard of a unit on the ninth floor.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it was alerted to the fire at 10.25pm on Monday (Jan 31), and extinguished the fire with two compressed air foam backpacks and one water jet.

Around 20 people, including two occupants of the affected unit, had evacuated themselves before the SCDF officers arrived, and 30 more people from the block were evacuated as well as a precautionary measure.

Two people were also assessed by the SCDF for smoke inhalation, but refused to be conveyed to the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

According to preliminary investigations, the fire had originated from the battery pack of a power-assisted bicycle (PAB), the SCDF added.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (Feb 1), the SCDF reminded the public to not charge batteries of PABs and personal mobility devices (PMDs) for an extended period of time or overnight.

The public is also urged to not purchase or use non-original batteries.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.