SINGAPORE, Aug 14 — A man and a woman in their 30s died after a fire swept through a Bukit Merah flat on August 13, with preliminary findings pointing to a personal mobility device (PMD) battery pack as the likely cause

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on Facebook that the blaze could have started from a PMD battery pack in the living room. 

It warned the public against charging batteries for prolonged periods or leaving them unattended overnight, and advised using only original batteries.

SCDF said it was alerted to the fire at Block 106, Jalan Bukit Merah, at about 4pm on August 13, The Straits Times reported. 

By the time firefighters arrived, flames had engulfed the living room and bedroom of a fourth-floor unit. 

The fire was extinguished using a water jet.

Two people were found unconscious in the kitchen and taken to Singapore General Hospital, where they later died.

Police identified them as a 34-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, adding that foul play is not suspected.

Two other residents from nearby units were hospitalised — one after feeling unwell and the other for smoke inhalation. In total, about 60 residents were evacuated as a precaution.

Neighbour Zelah, 36, said the couple had moved in only a month earlier and were friends of the flat’s owner. 

She recalled seeing a charger for an e-bike delivered to the unit recently.

According to SCDF statistics, this brings Singapore’s 2025 fire-related death toll to eight — up from five in 2024 and three in 2023.

The previous fatal fire occurred in July, when two people were found unconscious in a Toa Payoh flat and later pronounced dead.