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Mini-explosions seen as e-scooter catches fire at Marina Boulevard

The e-scooter caught fire outside the Red Dot Design Museum on Wednesday (26 September) evening. (PHOTOS: Facebook / Zuhayr Azman, Karen Wong)
The e-scooter caught fire outside the Red Dot Design Museum on Wednesday (26 September) evening. (PHOTOS: Facebook / Zuhayr Azman, Karen Wong)

An e-scooter burst into flames outside the Red Dot Design Museum at Marina Boulevard on Wednesday (26 September) evening, startling bystanders as it triggered a series of small explosions.

The incident took place at around 5.15pm, and videos posted by eyewitnesses showed the device engulfed in flames. In the footage shared on social media, popping sounds can be heard while debris is seen being flung from the device with each mini-explosion.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to an incident involving a personal mobility device at 5.16pm. An SCDF personnel extinguished the fire by using dry powder extinguisher, and no injuries were reported.

According to a Straits Times report, 48-year-old Zul Idris, who is part of the service crew at the Food Anatomy cafe located in the museum, said that he and his colleagues tried to extinguish the fire using two fire extinguishers from the cafe.

“But after a while, mini explosions happened one after another. It was like a firecracker,” he said.

Earlier this month, Senior Minister of State for Transport Lam Pin Min told Parliament that, since 2016, Singapore has seen more than 80 fire incidents involving motorised personal mobility devices (PMDs).

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