4 taken to hospital, 200 evacuated after PMA-linked fire at Ang Mo Kio HDB block

SINGAPORE - Four people were taken to the hospital after a fire involving a personal mobility aid (PMA) at an Ang Mo Kio HDB block on Nov 4.

About 200 people were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post on Nov 5 that it was alerted to the fire at Block 641 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 at about 11.15pm.

Four people were taken to Singapore General Hospital after being assessed for smoke inhalation, it added.

The fire involved a PMA at a lift lobby on the eighth floor of the block.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames with a water jet.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

When The Straits Times visited the block at about 11am on Nov 5, a handful of contractors were seen repairing the electrical wiring on the eighth floor.

The area around the lift lobby was blackened with soot and there was an acrid smell of smoke in the air.

A 71-year-old resident, who gave his name only as Mr Tan, said he was asleep when neighbours banged on his door to alert him to the fire. He lives a few doors away from the lift lobby.

“We escaped the smoke and confusion using the stairs. We didn’t have any problems because I don’t have health issues. But as for now, we still do not have electricity,” he said.

Another resident on the same floor, Mr Vincent Peter, told ST that he sprang out of bed to get water, after his daughter woke him up at around 11pm to inform him about the fire.

“We could feel the heat from our walls because the fire was just next door,” said the 58-year-old.

Mr Peter said he tried to douse the flames of the burning PMA with two pails of water, but a neighbour’s son told him to stop because there were “mini explosions”.

“All we could do then was to evacuate in the dark... all nine of us – my wife, two daughters, two dogs and three parrots,” he added.

Cleaner Supian Ismail, 67, said the corridors were dark and there was thick smoke as he and his neighbours evacuated their homes.

“I could only see the red, angry fire through the smoke,” he added.

“It was chaotic as we tried to escape as quickly as possible. Many elderly residents got help from neighbours or family members, who escorted them to the ground floor.”

He added that they were allowed to return to their homes only at around 3am, which was when he found out that three of his ornamental fishes had died when the electricity to his unit was cut off.

Mr Suren, who lives on the fourth floor, said both the block and the park in front of it experienced a blackout.

The 26-year-old initially thought that the power outage affected only his unit, as he was watching TV at the time.

He and his wife evacuated with their 13-month-old son and also returned home at around 3am.

In response to queries, an Ang Mo Kio Town Council (AMKTC) spokesperson said the main electrical cables were damaged as a result of the fire.

The damage disrupted power supply to 32 units between the eighth and 11th floors, and electrical rectifications works are under way.

Power supply is expected to be restored by 4pm on Nov 5, or once it is safe to do so.

“AMKTC will also assist in the repair of all common property affected by the incident. This includes restoring the building facade and common areas to their original condition,” the spokesperson added.

The block consists of two-room rental flats and has 11 floors, with 24 units on each floor.

This is believed to be the largest fire evacuation reported in 2025.

In August, a fire at an

executive condominium in Punggol resulted in around

100 people

being evacuated

.

According to SCDF statistics, there have been eight fire-related deaths as at August 2025 – an increase from five in 2024, and three in 2023.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said in September that the authorities are

considering tougher action against sellers and users of non-compliant active mobility devices (AMDs)

, which include PMAs.

He said in a written reply to parliamentary questions that there have been 187 fires involving AMDs over the last five years.

Of these, about 46 per cent involved personal mobility devices (PMDs), 42 per cent involved power-assisted bicycles and 12 per cent involved PMAs.

In October, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat also

cautioned against using illegal PMDs bought online

, as these devices may overheat and catch fire during charging.

He noted that PMD fires are becoming more and more of a concern in Singapore, and urged users to buy their devices from approved shops.