Elderly woman rescued by neighbour after mobility scooter catches fire in Bedok HDB corridor

SINGAPORE - A mobility scooter parked in a corridor of a Bedok Housing Board block gave off sparks and started a fire last Saturday afternoon (Oct 27), with an elderly woman narrowly escaping the blaze unharmed.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 509B Bedok North Street 3 at about 2.30pm. The block comprises studio apartments for the elderly.

The fire was extinguished prior to the SCDF's arrival by the public using buckets of water, it added.

There were no reported injuries and the cause of fire is still under investigation.

Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Wanbao reported that an 83-year-old resident had left his two mobility scooters along the fifth floor corridor before going to church.

The scooters were not plugged into the chargers at the time.

However, one of the devices suddenly burst into flames, engulfing the entire corridor in thick smoke.

The man's next-door neighbour, a 70-year-old woman, told Lianhe Wanbao that she was watching television when she heard several loud explosions and noticed smoke seeping into her home.

The woman, who gave her name as Saias, said that when she tried to open her front door to escape, she was unable to do so as the door frame was too hot.

"I was so scared that I cried and shouted for help. Just when I thought this was the end for me, the heavens sent an angel to help me," she said.

She added that a man appeared at her doorstep and repeatedly poured water over the flames with a bucket, before trying to knock the door down.

She later handed the keys to him through a window.

"He pulled me out to safety after opening the door and sat me down near the staircase. He then left quietly. The door was so hot and it was so dangerous, but he was so brave," she added.

That man turned out to be 46-year-old contractor Xu Jiafu.

He told Lianhe Wanbao that he was not a hero, but was merely doing what he should.

Mr Xu, who lives at the next block, said that he happened to be at the void deck of Block 509B when he saw the fire.

He said: "There are a lot of elderly people living in that block, so I was worried about their safety."

He added that he was not hurt in the fire, though his clothes, hands and face were blackened with soot.

"I am glad that the residents are okay," he said.