Fatal PMD fire in Woodlands lift: Battery pack likely damaged due to e-scooter’s modifications, says coroner

SINGAPORE — The battery of a modified electric scooter, which caught fire in a lift and led to the death of its 20-year-old rider in Woodlands in June 2021, was likely not in a good condition and already damaged by the time of the incident, a coroner’s inquiry found.

Delivering his findings on Wednesday (March 29), State Corononer Adam Nakhoda ruled the death of Muhammad Irfan Danish Azhar as a misadventure, and said that the “tragic case” was a reminder of the danger posed by modified personal mobility devices (PMDs).

Irfan, who was working as a food delivery rider, was on his way to help a friend on the night of June 3, 2021. 

He had taken the lift on the ninth floor at Block 537, Woodlands Drive 16 where he lived, and while going down the lift, a bright light came from the device and it spontaneously combusted.

The intensity of the fire grew as it spread in the lift. The lift door opened on the second floor and Irfan fled.

Residents recounted that Irfan was on fire and parts of his body were charred. Some people helped to throw buckets of water at the fire and about 90 residents had to be evacuated later as a precaution.

The police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) personnel who arrived at the scene administered first aid to Irfan, who was found lying down and conscious on a staircase landing.

He was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and died the next day. He suffered burns on nearly all of his body surface area.

RIDER LIKELY SENSED BATTERY HAD PROBLEMS

In an earlier session last December, the court heard that the e-scooter Irfan used was modified.

A lead fire investigator on the case testified that the most probable scenarios leading to the fire included cumulative damage to the lithium ion battery pack and overheating of components.

It is believed that an electrical anomaly occurred within the battery pack.

The pack had no battery management system, which is supposed to ensure that there is no overcharging or overheating.

On Wednesday, State Coroner Nakhoda said that the battery was “likely not in a good condition” and “most likely” damaged by the time of the incident.

This was due to a mismatch between the battery output and the motor requirement.

The e-scooter was also not certified to the UL2272 safety standard.

State Coroner Nakhoda said it was apparent to Irfan that there was something wrong with the battery before the fire, because from the lift camera footage, he could be seen looking at the “mid-section of the PMD” where the battery pack was found.

It was probable that he felt heat coming out from the battery.

Once the fire ignited, Irfan tossed the device away from his body and frantically pressed buttons on the lift control panel.

State Coroner Nakhoda said he found that the lift had no mechanical problem and it was likely that besides the ground-floor button, Irfan had only successfully pressed the second-floor button, which was why the lift door opened on that floor.

However, there was no way to avoid the spreading fire in the confined space and by the time the lift stopped on the second floor and the doors opened, Irfan was already “severely burned”.

He then escaped the lift and collapsed at the staircase landing between the ground floor and the second floor.

Concluding his findings, State Coroner Nakhoda advised the public not to buy PMDs that are modified, and users should not modify the devices after buying them.

He also took the opportunity to convey his deepest condolences to Irfan’s family, who was represented by his father at the hearing on Wednesday.

When approached by reporters at the end of the hearing, the father thanked them for the condolences but declined to comment.