Pet cat dies in Potong Pasir flat fire caused by PMD, 1 person sent to hospital

Following a fire at a Potong Pasir maisonette on Oct. 1, one person was evacuated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to the hospital, while the family's pet cat perished.

The fire was likely caused by a personal mobility device (PMD).

Family cat died in fire

Responding to queries from Mothership, an SCDF spokesperson shared that they were alerted to a fire at Block 132 Potong Pasir Avenue 1 at around 2:55pm on Oct. 2.

At the scene, smoke was seen coming out of the living room on the first floor, which was blackened with soot, while glass shards were strewn across the floor and doorway, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The second floor windows and walls were also blackened.

Videos of the fire showed the first floor unit engulfed in flames as smoke billowed out of the window, Shin Min wrote.

Amidst the chaotic scene, one person could be heard shouting, "Come out!"

Passers-by told Shin Min that they heard a man crying for help from the second floor and suspected that someone was trapped by the fire and smoke.

SCDF shared that one person was evacuated and conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

A person who claimed to be the evacuee's friend said the man was covered in burns and was currently undergoing treatment in hospital.

The family's cat did not escape and perished in the fire, passers-by said.

Neighbours heard blasts

One resident, Ye (transliteration), 66, told Shin Min that she heard a sudden blast right before the fire.

She then looked around, only to find that her neighbour's home was up in flames.

Tan, 46, who resides above the affected unit, shared that upon hearing the blast and seeing the smoke, he hurriedly grabbed important personal effects and evacuated with his wife.

They were able to get out unscathed despite their house being filled with smoke.

One neighbour, who also resided in the same block, shared that he went to the affected unit to investigate after the blast.

"When I first got to the unit, there was another blast. Glass shards flew right by me and a ball of fire followed. That startled me to death," he told Shin Min.

PMD likely source of fire: SCDF

Neighbours had previously urged the family of the affected unit not to keep the PMD in their home, Shin Min reported.

Responders at the scene later removed a PMD, which was charred, from the house.

According to another resident, the family from the affected unit had more than one PMD.

She had previously advised the man, who was injured from the fire, against keeping the PMD inside his home, but the advice fell on deaf ears.

According to an SCDF spokesperson, the fire involved contents of a living room in a first floor unit.

"Preliminary investigation indicates that the fire had likely originated from a PMD in the living room," the spokesperson said.

To prevent such fires, the SCDF spokesperson reminded the public to not purchase or use non-original batteries for their active mobility devices, including PMDs and power assisted bicycles (PAB).

SCDF also advised the public not to charge PMD and PAB batteries for an extended period of time or overnight.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News