E-bike parked outside Sheng Siong in Canberra on fire less than 1 minute later

A power-assisted bicycle spontaneously caught fire less than a minute after its owner parked the device outside the Sheng Siong Supermarket at Block 105 Canberra Street.

The incident occurred on May 23 at about 5:40pm, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Staff kept fire under control

A nearby eatery staff had to use three fire extinguishers to put out the fire.

He sprang into action as he was worried that the flames could spread and he was trained to use the fire extinguisher.

However, each time the fire appeared to have been extinguished, it restarted again.

The device even exploded five or six times, it was reported.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said the fire was caused by the battery of a power-assisted bicycle.

The fire was put out using a water jet and no one was injured.

Started to emit smoke

The electric bike apparently started to emit smoke less than a minute after it was parked.

The e-bike rider, Wu (transliteration), 40, said he had parked his device outside the eatery and went to the supermarket on the second floor.

He said: "I went shopping for less than 10 minutes, and when I came down, I saw many police officers and firefighters. I didn't expect that my e-bike caught fire."

Footage of the e-bike spontaneously catching fire was caught on the surveillance camera of the eatery.

Footage showed other passers-by at the plaza area at the time.

Bought less than a year ago

Wu said he bought the e-bike less than a year ago for S$1,400.

It had not been modified and used the original battery provided.

However, the warranty period was only six months and has since expired.

Wu added that he bought the e-bike for commuting purposes only, such as when he headed out to buy necessities.

As it was used infrequently, it was charged once every two weeks.

All media via Shin Min Daily News