SINGAPORE – An electric bicycle burst into flames on the fifth floor of a Housing Board block in Bedok, leaving the walls and corridor charred and blackened.
The incident, which occurred on May 25 around 11.45pm, caused about 50 residents to evacuate their homes before firefighters arrived.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told The Straits Times that the fire at 38 Bedok South Road involved a power-assisted bicycle (PAB) in the corridor.
The SCDF extinguished the fire using a water jet, and there were no reported injuries. Preliminary investigations show that the fire likely originated from the battery pack of the PAB.
A video uploaded on the social media platform TikTok by a netizen named “shopwithlala4” shows part of the HDB block’s corridor engulfed in flames, accompanied by explosions and residents shouting, “There’s a fire.”
Following the incident, the SCDF issued an advisory reminding the public not to buy non-original batteries for their electric bicycles, and not to charge these batteries for an extended period, or leave them charging overnight.
They also said personal mobility devices and electric bicycles sold locally must meet the UL2272 and EN15194 safety certification standards issued by the Land Transport Authority.