Resident hospitalised, pet cat dies as Potong Pasir blaze guts HDB flat

A Potong Pasir resident was hospitalised after a personal mobility device (PMD) caught fire in his two-storey HDB flat, claiming the life of the family's pet cat as well.

The incident occurred at around 3pm on Oct 2 at Block 132 Potong Pasir Avenue 1.

Reporters from Shin Min Daily News arrived at the scene at 5pm after receiving a tip-off from a reader. Fire engines and police vehicles were present, and the fire had been extinguished, with the affected area cordoned off.

The first-floor living room of the affected flat was completely charred. Windows were shattered, and broken glass lay on the ground outside.

Ash and debris could be seen at the entrance to the flat, while the walls and windows on the second storey were blackened by smoke.

Video footage given to Shin Min showed an intense fire on the ground floor, with the entire living area engulfed in flames. Thick black smoke billows from the windows, which are also on fire.

The sounds of glass breaking can be heard in the video, with a person shouting: "Get out!".

Man trapped in second floor of flat

Ms Ye, a 66-year-old homemaker who lives nearby, told Shin Min she heard an explosion before seeing her neighbour's home engulfed in flames.

Mr Chen, aged 46 and self-employed, lives in the unit directly above. He immediately evacuated the flat with his wife and child after hearing the explosion and seeing the thick smoke rising, while carrying important belongings.

Neighbours told reporters they heard the male resident, who was apparently trapped by the flames, shouting for help from the second floor.

Several residents rushed to help, with some calling the authorities and others keeping children at a safe distance. One tried to put out the fire with a hose.

A man who identified himself as a friend of the injured resident told reporters the victim sustained third- and fourth-degree burns on 30 to 40 per cent of his body and was undergoing surgery at the hospital. His current condition is unknown.

Neighbours added that the man was conscious when rescued, but his cat was found dead when brought out of the unit.

PMD suspected as cause

In response to queries from The New Paper, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that they were alerted to a fire at the location at 2:55 pm.

The blaze involved the contents of a living room in a first-floor unit, and the fire was extinguished using a water jet.

SCDF personnel evacuated one person from the unit, who was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire was caused by a personal mobility device (PMD) in the living room.

There have been 20 such fires in the first half of 2025, up from 10 in the same period in 2024.

Eyewitness almost hurt by fire

Another resident on the same block, who witnessed the fire, said it happened too suddenly and caught everyone off guard.

He initially heard a loud explosion and walked towards the doorway of the burning unit.

"When I walked over, there was another sudden blast," the resident recalled. "Glass shards flew right past me, followed by a huge ball of flames. I was scared to death."

Residents warned against storing PMDs indoors

Reporters on the scene observed authorities moving a charred PMD, reduced to just a metal frame, to the unit's doorway.

A resident, who declined to be named, said that there were multiple PMDs in the flat. She had previously reminded the male resident not to keep the device indoors, but he had dismissed her concerns.

SCDF has cautioned the public against purchasing or using non-original batteries for PMDs and Power Assisted Bicycles (PABs), and charging batteries overnight.