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

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

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) responded to a fire on the second floor of Block 537 Woodlands Drive 16 at about 11.25pm on Thursday.

The fire involved a PMD in a lift, said SCDF in a Facebook post on Friday. It had been extinguished by members of the public using buckets of water prior to SCDF's arrival.

The man was conscious when taken to the hospital, where he subsequently died from his injuries, said SPF.

About 90 residents of the block were also evacuated by the police as a precautionary measure.

Preliminary investigations into the cause of the fire indicated that it was of "electrical origin" from a PMD, said SCDF.

Investigations into the unnatural death are ongoing, said the police.

READ: Man died rescuing dogs after PMD left charging caught fire; coroner rules death unfortunate misadventure

SCDF reminded the public that non-UL2272-certified devices and any modifications to PMDs pose a fire risk and threaten public safety.

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

This can be done at any KGS collection point until Jun 30 at no cost, it added.