20-year-old man dies after PMD catches fire in Woodlands lift

SINGAPORE — A 20-year-old man died after suffering severe burn injuries when a personal mobility device (PMD) caught fire in a lift at a housing block in Woodlands on Thursday (June 3) night.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the police said they were alerted to the blaze at 11.25pm on the second floor of Block 537 Woodlands Drive 16.

The fire in the lift had been put out by members of the public with buckets of water before SCDF officers arrived.

The man was conscious when SCDF officers took him to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Based on preliminary investigations, the blaze was an electrical fire originating from a PMD. 

No foul play was suspected and probes into the unnatural death are under way, the police said in a statement.

Photos depicting the aftermath of the incident posted on SCDF’s Facebook page showed a blackened lift and the charred remains of a PMD.

About 90 residents from the block were evacuated by the police as a precaution.

SCDF warned the public not to make modifications to their PMDs or use ones without the proper UL2272 certification as they pose a fire risk. It did not say if the PMD involved in the fire was uncertified.

“Owners of these devices are strongly encouraged to dispose of their devices at the appropriate recyclers,” SCDF said. 

These uncertified devices can be discarded for free at any collection points managed by IT equipment disposal firm KGS from now until June 30.