Man, 20, dies after PMD catches fire in Woodlands lift

SINGAPORE - A 20-year-old man died after a fire broke out in a lift at Block 537 Woodlands Drive 16 on Thursday night (June 3).

A personal mobility device (PMD) was in the lift.

On Friday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post it was alerted to the fire at about 11.25pm on Thursday. The fire involved a PMD in a lift.

The fire was extinguished by members of the public using buckets of water before the SCDF arrived.

SCDF said a person was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital with severe burn injuries.

On Friday, a police spokesman told The Straits Times the man died from his injuries. Investigations are ongoing and no foul play is suspected.

The SCDF said about 90 residents from the affected block were evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure.

[[nid:520942]]

It said preliminary investigations into the cause of the fire indicated it was of electrical origin from the PMD.

SCDF reminded the public that non-UL2272 PMDs and any form of modifications to PMDs pose a fire risk and threaten public safety.

It said owners of these devices are strongly encouraged to dispose of their devices at the appropriate recyclers.

From now till June 30, the public may dispose of their PMDs at any KGS collection point at no cost.

For more details, visit this website.

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