Yishun PMD fire: Man in 20s refused to evacuate, says neighbour
Two separate fires occurred at Yishun on Friday (Aug 23), one in the afternoon (left) and the other close to midnight.
PHOTO: Lianhe Zaobao, Telegram/sgfollowsall
PUBLISHED ONAugust 25, 2024 2:36 AMByDrima ChakrabortyTwo separate fires blazed in Yishun on Friday (Aug 23), likely caused by the batteries in their mobility devices.
Over 100 residents had to be evacuated from their flats in total.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told AsiaOne that they were informed of the first fire at Block 392 Yishun Avenue 6 at around 1.25pm.
They forcibly entered the sixth floor flat and extinguished the fire, which preliminary reports indicated were of electrical origin from a personal mobility device (PMD), while the police evacuated 16 residents.
Shin Min Daily News also interviewed a resident from the block who claimed that a man in the affected flat refused to escape.
"When I ran upstairs [to check], I found that the living room of the unit involved was on fire, with smoke constantly coming out, and a young man aged about 20 was sitting in the room," the 61-year-old said.
The man also reportedly told him to go away, and the neighbour added: "I tried to reach out and pull him, but he still didn't want to, so I had to escape on my own."
A reporter from the Chinese daily also found four or five people in the affected unit after the blaze was put out, but they refused to be interviewed.
A second blaze occurred just before midnight in another part of Yishun, this time over at Block 345 Yishun Avenue 11, and circulating photos and videos show three fire engines and a police car at the scene. Flames and smoke can be seen at a window.
Firefighters were alerted to the second fire at around 11.40pm, the SCDF told AsiaOne. The fire likely originated from power-assisted bicycle batteries in the bedroom of an eighth storey flat.
The SCDF put the fire out with a water jet, but the living room of the flat also incurred damage from heat and smoke.
An occupant of the affected unit had already evacuated by the time the SCDF and police arrived, and refused to be sent to the hospital. 100 other residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure.
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