SINGAPORE - Three people were rescued from a HDB flat in Senja Road after an e-scooter battery pack caused a fire.

In a Facebook post on Saturday night (March 10), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it responded to the blaze in a third-storey unit at 636C, Senja Road, at 9.05pm.

Firefighters had to force their way into the flat through the front door, and extinguished the fire using a compressed air foam backpack and a water jet.

They also pitched a ladder at the rear of the flat, rescuing the flat's three occupants from the air-conditioner ledge.

All three were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

According to SCDF, its preliminary investigation found that the cause of the fire is of electrical origin, and had originated from the battery pack of a personal mobility device (PMD).

A photo of the fire's aftermath showed a badly-burnt e-scooter in the flat.

SCDF, in its Facebook post, also attached an advisory reminding the public on the prevention of PMD fires.

In its annual statistics released last month, SCDF said the number of e-scooters catching fire had gone up significantly in 2017.

There were 40 such fires, up from nine the previous year, with most caused by batteries.

E-scooters have batteries that are packed with energy and contain flammable material, so excessive impact, overcharging and faulty electrical circuitry can trigger a fire, said a SCDF spokesman last month.