Man, 44, found burned outside Potong Pasir flat had been left there by friend after night of drinking

UPDATE on Aug. 29 at 2:54pm: This article has been amended to include new information about the cause of the fire.

The charred body of a 44-year-old man was found outside a Potong Pasir flat on Aug. 28 at around 6:45am.

Details about what allegedly happened and what caused the blaze have since been made public.

Left outside flat after night of drinking

The deceased was Lim Min Lee, 44, a freelancer, Lim's elder brother told CNA.

The 46-year-old, who did not want to be named, also told Lianhe Zaobao what he understood had happened.

Lim had apparently been drinking with friends until the wee hours of the morning.

A friend took Lim home and knocked on the door of his unit in Potong Pasir but no one came to the door.

It was about 6am at that time.

The friend then left Lim alone outside the unit after neighbours complained about the noise from the knocking, Lim's elder brother told CNA.

Fire believed to have started from electronic device

Lim is believed to have tried to light a cigarette and accidentally set himself on fire, Zaobao initially reported on Aug. 28.

A further update on Aug. 29, which cited preliminary investigations, said it was believed that the deceased had urinated on himself, causing a short circuit of an electronic device he had on him.

This caused him to lose consciousness.

It was suspected that he had an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) or portable battery in his pocket at the time, and Lim's cousin told Zaobao that Lim only smoked e-cigarettes.

A device he was carrying was believed to have caught fire, which caused him to be severely burned.

Zaobao reported that the victim suffered burns on the lower half of his body.

The most severe burns were observed around the area of his pants pocket.

Neighbour found victim

It was a neighbour who heard Lim's groaning and came out to check and found the victim on fire.

The neighbour took out a fire extinguisher to put out the fire and called the police.

Lim's cousin, who was asleep in the unit at the time, was informed about what had happened when the police arrived.

Zaobao also reported that the cause of death has not been determined.

Single and moved in recently

According to the elder brother, Lim was single and had moved into the Potong Pasir flat to live with his aunt and cousin one to two years ago.

Their aunt had passed away just 100 days earlier, it was also revealed.

Lim's brother also shared that their mother, who is in her 80s, received the tragic news with him and was devastated.

The deceased, described as sociable, had talked about going to Taiwan with their mother, Lim's brother shared.

Top photos via Lianhe Zaobao