Kitchener Road fire likely caused by e-bike that flat owners were charging for delivery rider friend

A power-assisted bicycle (PAB) being charged in a flat was the likely cause of a fire at Block 2 Kitchener Road on Wednesday (Feb 8), said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Stomper Johnny shared a video showing smoke coming out of the windows on the second highest storey of the HDB block. As the camera zoomed in, flames can be seen flicking out of a window.

In response to a Stomp query, SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at about 11.00am.

"The fire involved contents of a unit on the 13th floor," said SCDF.

"About 80 people had evacuated prior to the arrival of SCDF."

SCDF evacuated seven people from the affected and neighbouring homes, and extinguished the fire using a water jet.

Six people were taken to Singapore General Hospital and one to Raffles Hospital. Another person was assessed and the person refused conveyance to the hospital.

"Preliminary investigation indicates that the fire had likely originated from a PAB that was charging in the living room," said SCDF.

@pesulapjanda Another Ebike causing fire.#fyp #ebike #sg #sgtiktok #msnews #viral #singapore ♬ original sound - Pesulap Janda

According to a Shin Min Daily News report, before the blaze, the owners of the flat that caught fire heard sparks coming from the battery of an e-bike they were charging for a friend.

One of the owners said the friend works as a delivery rider in the area.

She added that even though she believes everything in the flat has been destroyed, she was thankful that her children were in school when the fire happened.

“We will arrange for the children to stay with my mother-in-law temporarily and the authorities said they will arrange temporary accommodation for us,” said the owner.

SCDF said it would like to remind everyone to help prevent PAB fires by not charging batteries for an extended period of time or overnight and not using non-original batteries.