AMD battery packs, electrical faults found to be likely causes of recent residential fires

Battery packs from some active mobility devices (AMDs) and electrical faults were found to be the likely causes of a recent spate of residential fires, said Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming.

- Anjali Raguraman

The Government is concerned about these fires, and may consider stiffer action against the owners and retailers of non-compliant AMDs, Mr Goh told reporters at Joo Chiat Community Club on Aug 30, on the sidelines of a Responder Plus Programme.

Twenty-six participants picked up core life-saving skills such as firefighting, first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation during the emergency preparedness training programme by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

There have been at least eight fire-related deaths in 2025 so far, compared with three in 2023 and five in 2024.

In April 2025, a blaze at a shophouse in River Valley left a 10-year-old girl dead, and 21 others injured. More recently in August, a fire in a Jalan Bukit Merah flat resulted in the death of two people in their 30s.

Mr Goh said the Government is looking at various measures to step up fire safety protection.