SINGAPORE: Five of the six occupants in a Jurong West flat had been taken to hospital after a fire, doubtless brought on by a charging e-bike battery, broke out on Wednesday morning (Jan 19).
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) mentioned in a Facebook publish it was alerted to the fire at Block 723 Jurong West Avenue 5 at round 6.10am.
When firefighters arrived, the fire might be seen contained in the unit, which is on the third ground.
The six occupants had evacuated the flat earlier than the arrival of the firefighters, together with about 45 occupants in neighbouring models.
SCDF mentioned 5 occupants from the burning flat had been taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation. No different accidents had been reported.
The blaze concerned the contents of a front room and was extinguished with a Compressed Air Foam Backpack.
Pictures in SCDF’s Facebook publish present the charred stays of belongings in the lounge and objects coated in soot.
Preliminary investigations discovered that the fire had originated from a battery pack of a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) that was being charged in the lounge.
According to statistics launched by SCDF in September 2021, private electrical autos had been the reason for about 5 per cent of all residential fires in Singapore, with 29 such fires reported in the primary half of 2021.
Personal mobility gadgets (PMDs) that catch fire normally achieve this due to batteries that have short-circuited, consultants advised The Straits Times in a earlier report.
One important reason behind batteries short-circuiting is injury to separators inside the battery that forestall constructive and adverse electrodes from touching.
Causes of separator injury embody warmth from overcharging the batteries and using incompatible chargers.
SCDF reminded customers of PMDs and PABs not to cost batteries for an prolonged interval or in a single day. Users had been additionally reminded not to purchase or use non-original batteries. – The Straits Times (Singapore)/Asia News Network
