SINGAPORE — More active mobility devices (AMDs) caught fire in 2024, with many of these blazes happening in homes. In its annual statistics report released on Feb 13, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said there were 67 fires involving AMDs in 2024, up 21.8 per cent from 55 such fires in 2023. This is the second consecutive year that...
The SCDF said there were 67 fires involving active mobility devices in 2024, up 21.8 per cent from 55 such fires in 2023.SINGAPORE — More active mobility devices caught fire in 2024, with many of these blazes happening in homes.
The Land Transport Authority said on Jan 22 that non-compliant AMDs have led to six deaths since 2019. When asked why AMD fires continued to rise, an SCDF spokesperson told The Straits Times that a significant number of such fires involve modified devices. Mr Markham Shaw, chairman of the National Fire and Emergency Preparedness Council, said the serious risks posed by AMD fires underscore the need for safe usage and proper charging, and to use only original parts in devices.On Jan 23, Prince Bryan Tan, 29, the owner of an electric bicycle shop, was fined $7,000 for selling a non-compliant battery and an illegally modified PAB. It was the first such prosecution here.
Devices should not be left charging unattended for long periods of time. They should also not be placed near combustible materials or along escape routes, said SCDF.In February 2024, two separate fires killed two people in Housing Board flats in Marsiling Road and Canberra Crescent respectively. In the case of two men who died in a fire at a Kaki Bukit industrial building that month, SCDF said the cause of death is still under investigation.The total number of blazes rose from 1,954 in 2023 to 1,990 in 2024 due to more fires at commercial premises, as well as at social and communal premises, which include community centres and religious sites.Unattended cooking and electrical fires — including faults in electrical wiring or overloaded sockets — remained the top two causes of home fires.
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