Food delivery rider Ridwan Ithnin suffered burns to 45 per cent of his body and had to be rescued from the window ledge of his 10th-floor Yishun flat by a neighbour after his e-scooter exploded in his room in late 2017.
His father and sister-in-law were also hospitalised for smoke inhalation in the incident. Now 25, Mr Ridwan has fully recovered, although burn scars still remain.
Despite that experience, he is back at work as a food delivery rider - using an e-scooter. But he is much more careful now, having learnt his lesson.
Speaking to The Straits Times yesterday, Mr Ridwan said he now prefers to buy items related to e-scooters at physical shops as they would most likely be from the original manufacturer, and safer.
He bought his previous e-scooter from an online shopping site. The device was just about two weeks old when it burst into flames after it was put on charging mode for about six hours.
While Mr Ridwan's brother had warned his family after the accident not to buy a similar device again, Mr Ridwan received his new e-scooter as a gift from his boss after he started work as a food delivery rider more than a year ago.
He opted to use it as it was quicker and less taxing than a bicycle to get around. He also does not have a motorcycle licence.
On what advice he would have for fellow owners of e-scooters and those interested in buying them, Mr Ridwan said: "They should make sure to check that the e-scooters they bought are new.
"The charger must also have a Safety Mark label on it, and they should also check to make sure that the battery is not leaking."
RECENT PMD-LINKED FIRES
JULY 22: A fire believed to have been caused by the overcharging of an electric scooter engulfed a Housing Board unit at Block 224 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued four residents, including three children, from a nearby flat.
JULY 18: A man and his wife were pulled out of a raging fire in their flat at Block 293D Bukit Batok Street 21. The man, Mr Goh Keng Soon, 40, died in hospital on Saturday afternoon after being in a coma with third-degree burns. The blaze was linked to three burnt personal mobility devices (PMDs) in the flat, said the SCDF.
JULY 14: Two residents were taken to hospital for suspected smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in a unit at Block 257 Yishun Ring Road. Preliminary investigations indicated that a PMD was being charged when the fire occurred.
JULY 3: Fire gutted the living room of an HDB maisonette at Block 125 Tampines Street 11. A PMD was being charged when the fire occurred, the SCDF said.
JUNE 9: Two fires involving PMDs were reported on the same day. One took place at Block 301 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, and another at Block 52 Marine Terrace. The resident in the Marine Terrace unit extinguished the fire with buckets of water but suffered burns. There were no reported injuries in the other incident.
APRIL 9: Firefighters forced their way into a unit at Block 159 Woodlands Street 13 to rescue four residents after a fire caused by a PMD, which was being charged, left them trapped.
