Man, 46, borrows friend's PMA to deliver food, charges it 1st time, burns Punggol flat down

A man borrowed his friend's personal mobility aid (PMA) to deliver food, plugged it in at home to charge for the first time, and burned his Punggol flat down.

When the fire first started at about 7:05am on Feb. 13 at Block 326B Sumang Walk, the flat's occupant, Hu (transliteration), 46, told Shin Min Daily News that he so happened to have woken up to use the bathroom.

The first thing he noticed was that the air was unusually warm and stuffy.

The next thing he realised after stepping out of the bedroom was that the PMA was on fire in the living room.

Woke wife up and escaped

Hu said: “I tried to put the fire out with water, but it didn’t work."

"I immediately rushed back into the room and pulled my wife out. After we got out and closed the wooden door, we heard several explosions inside.”

Hu admitted that he did not lock his front door when he went to sleep at night, which allowed him and his wife to escape from the flat quickly.

Once he had exited the apartment, he closed the wooden door immediately to contain the fire.

Only the frame of the PMA was left following the fire, which caused the walls and ceiling to be blackened with soot.

Hu and his wife have resided in the Punggol flat for more than three years.

The authorities have arranged for them to stay in a unit in the Sengkang area temporarily.

Previously used PMD but had it impounded

Hu said he previously used his own personal mobility device (PMD) to deliver food, but it was impounded by the authorities a few days before the fire.

He proceeded to borrow a PMA from his friend.

According to his friend, the battery had previously had problems, but it had been repaired.

Hu said his friend only told him that the used battery was faulty and should not be charged in the aftermath of the fire.

This was apparently not mentioned when the friend let Hu borrow the PMA.

He said: “My friend felt guilty after learning about the fire, but I do not blame him. After all, it was an accident.”

However, Hu said the fire destroyed most of the belongings that he and his wife owned, and the incident has affected the mood to celebrate Chinese New Year.

As he no longer has a means of transport, he is likely unable to work for the foreseeable future.　　

SCDF response

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire involved items in the living room of a unit on the 18th floor.

The fire was extinguished with a water hose.

Three people were taken to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire may have been caused by a PMA.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News