AMK residents aid each other as fire breaks out
Two taken to hospital in Ang Mo Kio flat blaze
A burnt e-scooter found in a gutted Housing Board flat in Ang Mo Kio has sparked speculation about whether it might have been the cause of the fire.
Some residents in Block 503 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 were evacuated after the fire broke out in the fourth-storey flat yesterday morning.
The flat owner, Mr Chen Jia Xiang, told Shin Min Daily News that one of his tenants could have been charging the e-scooter in a bedroom.
"I have nothing left," said Mr Chen, who had spent more than $20,000 to renovate his flat.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said its officers put out the fire with three compressed air foam packs and a water jet after receiving a call at 4.30am.
Two people were taken conscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.
The SCDF said the cause of the fire is not known as it is still under investigation.
Earlier this year, the SCDF said 40 e-scooters caught fire last year, a sharp rise from the nine in 2016.
FLAMMABLE
Its spokesman warned that e-scooter batteries contain flammable material, so excessive impact, overcharging and faulty electrical circuitry can trigger a fire.
When The New Paper went to the flat, the front bedroom and living room were blackened with soot covering the ceiling of the corridor and stairwell.
Madam Dieu Siew Hoon, 61, a cleaning assistant who was among the evacuated residents , said the fire caused a blackout in the block.
"My hands were shaking so much that I could barely turn the key to open my door," she said.
She had heard that the fire might have been sparked by an e-scooter going up in flames.
Mr Beh Chye Mong, 85, who lives directly below Mr Chen's unit, told TNP he was awoken by the sound of an explosion and later went down to the carpark, where other residents had gathered.
"Everyone was going around banging on other people's doors to wake them up," said Mr Beh, adding he was touched by actions of residents who alerted their neighbours.
Hours after the fire, Madam Dieu was still shaken.
"In my 38 years of living here, I have never experienced anything like this," she said.
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