Personal mobility aid catches fire at Yishun HDB block, no injuries reported

SINGAPORE – More than 50 people were evacuated but no injuries reported when a Personal Mobility Aid (PMA) caught fire at the staircase landing of an HDB block in Yishun on the morning of Oct 18.

The incident at Block 438 Yishun Avenue 11 also disrupted the electricity supply to two flats adjacent to it, according to the MP for the area.

Repairs were coordinated by Nee Soon Town Council immediately and power to the units were restored at about 4pm, said Syed Harun Alhabsyi, the MP for Nee Soon Link division in Nee Soon GRC in a media reply.

However, lift operations were not affected, he added.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement that it was alerted at around 9.05am to a fire at a common area on the third level and its officers extinguished it using a Compressed Air Foam trolley.

It added that there were no reported injuries and preliminary findings showed that the PMA was the source of the fire.

Syed Harun expressed his appreciation to the SCDF in a Facebook post on the same day “for their swift response this morning and our grassroots volunteers for their support”.

He added that he spoke with residents from the nearby units to offer assistance. He had told them then that power to the affected homes should be restored before the end of the day.

Syed Harun, who is Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development, said grassroots volunteers and the town council team were at the scene to assist residents, with the Residents’ Committee centre made available to those in need.

Separately, the police said in response to queries that while attending to the fire with the SCDF, they encountered a man who was causing a scene by shouting.

The 57-year-old refused to comply when police officers engaged him and was arrested for drunkenness in public. Investigations are ongoing.

It is believed that he is not involved with the PMA fire incident.

Syed Harun also reminded “everyone to stay mindful of fire safety in our daily lives”, and told The Straits Times that “further restorative repairs will be conducted in the coming days, and assistance for affected residents will be rendered where required”.

The SCDF, meanwhile, urged PMA users to go to https://go.gov.sg/bedevicesafe for more tips on the safe use and charging of such devices.

The total number of fires in Singapore rose 3% to 2,050 in 2025 from 1,990 in 2024.

Of the 304 cases of electrical fires at residential premises in 2025, 34 involved active mobility devices (AMD). These include personal mobility devices (PMDs), power-assisted bicycles and PMAs.

Although there were fewer AMD fires in all locations – down from 67 in 2024 to 49 in 2025 – the number of PMD fires increased from 25 to 31 incidents, while that for PMAs fell from 11 in 2024 to six in 2025.