E-bike sparks blaze along Bedok HDB corridor, causing some residents to evacuate: 'I was so scared, my legs went numb'

SINGAPORE - Ms Eileen See had woken up at around 3am on Tuesday (Feb 13) to use the toilet when she was startled by a loud bang.

After rushing out of her Housing Board unit on the 11th floor of Block 202 Bedok North Street 1, she saw a raging blaze and black smoke billowing near the unit next door.

The 63-year-old cleaner immediately called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for help before evacuating.

The fire left the 11th-floor corridor of the block in a charred mess.

SCDF said it was alerted at 3.45am to the fire, and that the occupants of the affected unit had evacuated the flat by the time its rescuers arrived.

Three of the occupants were assessed for smoke inhalation, and two were taken to Singapore General Hospital. One person declined to be taken to hospital.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire had likely originated from the battery pack of a charging powered-assisted bicycle (PAB) that was left charging outside the unit.

Residents The Straits Times spoke to said the occupants were a Thai family of four and that one of the family members used the PAB as a food delivery rider. 

When ST arrived at the scene at around 5pm, the incident site had already been cleaned by town council workers. Electrical wiring and lights along the corridor that had been damaged by the fire had also been replaced.

There was also no significant damage inside any of the units.

However, the walls and ceilings of about five units were still blackened with soot. The affected unit's windows had almost completely melted or shattered, leaving only the frames intact.

The affected floor has 10 three-room flats. 

Ms See, who returned to her home around 5am after being told by rescuers that it was safe to do so, said the electricity in her flat was out for about 12 hours.

When ST visited Ms See, she said she still had no gas and pointed out that she shares a now-melted gas pipe with the affected unit.

A resident of a neighbouring unit, who declined to be named, said she was woken up around 3am by her daughter-in-law, who also heard the loud sound.

Speaking to ST in Mandarin, she described the scene as chaotic and added: "I was so scared, (that) my legs went numb."

She also said she helped a woman in her 20s from the affected unit with burn injuries and a soot-covered face evacuate.

Another neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Ms Ng, said four residents sought shelter in her home, about five units away from the affected flat, as it was not in immediate danger.

One of the neighbours she took in was a resident of the affected unit, said Ms Ng. She had run over barefoot while covering her five-year-old daughter in a blanket.

"She kept saying 'my house, my house' and asked for some water," Ms Ng, 55, said, adding that the woman seemed to be having a difficult time breathing while the child was in a state of shock.

Ms Ng also said a few residents had tried to help put out the fire.

A domestic helper, who lives in the unit directly above the affected unit, said residents on the 12th floor were also made to evacuate. The electricity in her unit went out for about four hours.

To prevent fires, the SCDF reminded the public not to charge the batteries of personal mobility devices and PABs overnight or for extended periods.

SCDF also urged people not to purchase or use non-original batteries.

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