At around 5pm on Wednesday (July 30), Mr Surendran Muniandy, 26, was resting in his family’s L-shaped rental flat in Marsiling when he noticed sparks suddenly emitting from a personal mobility device (PMD) that was charging in the living room. As fear gripped him, Surendran dashed out to the block’s staircase.
Just then, the PMD exploded into flames with a resounding bang, and smoke engulfed the corridor of the 13th floor of Block 4, Marsiling Road, where the flat was located.
No other family members were home at the time of the incident.
Mr Surendran’s father, Mr Muniandy Thangavelu, 55, who works as an ambulance driver, told tabla! that he was devastated when he received the phone call informing him about the fire.
His wife, another son, daughter-in-law, and their 10-month-old grandson were all away visiting a relative’s home at the time, Mr Muniandy said.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that three people were taken to the hospital following the fire, which broke out at a HDB flat in Marsiling.
SCDF said they received the call for assistance at about 5.50pm.
Both the living room and bedroom of the flat on the 13th floor were engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished using water jets.
This fire occurred a day after another HDB fire incident in Toa Payoh.
Gratitude amidst tragedy
Looking around the charred debris in his flat while speaking to tabla! Mr Muniandy bemoaned the loss of his possessions. Cash, jewellery, and belongings worth over S$3,000 were destroyed in the fire.
Mr Muniandy said the amount was a major loss to their low-income family, in which he is the sole breadwinner. Despite the trauma, he expressed gratitude that no lives were lost.
“If I had been in the kitchen at the time of the explosion, I might not have survived,” Mr Muniandy said.
He also expressed relief that Mr Surendran chose to flee the flat instead of attempting to switch off the electricity, saying that the decision saved his life.
Mr Surendran, who inhaled a large amount of smoke during the fire, was admitted to the hospital. His family did not allow tabla! to interview him, saying he was still in deep psychological shock.
Mr Muniandy said the personal mobility device which exploded, had been purchased just a month ago.
“Even though it was registered under my name, I bought it for my son who intended to do GrabFood delivery work until he could find another job,” he said.
Mr Muniandy claimed that the PMD had not been overcharged. “The battery indicator showed it wasn’t fully charged, so it had only been plugged in for a short while,” he noted.
Aid from community partners
The family of four is currently receiving assistance from the nearby Sunlove Active Ageing Centre at Block 3, Marsiling Road.
Sunlove Home has provided them with essential items such as diapers, milk powder, food supplies, mattresses and a rice cooker, according to the organisation’s chief programme officer, Mr. K. Rajamohan.
“The family is currently lodged temporarily at another flat in Marsiling. We had rendered timely assistance, but they are in need of further assistance,” Mr Rajamohan said.
Affected families are either temporarily housed at our Residents’ Network (RN) Centre or HDB’s temporary units, Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representative Constituency Member of Parliament Zaqy Mohamad said in a Facebook post on Friday (Aug 1).
“Our Marsiling Grassroots team is standing by the affected families, providing immediate assistance and extending financial aid through the North West CDC’s Emergency Relief Fund to help them recover from this incident,” Mr Zaqy noted in his post.
Readers interested in providing further assistance may contact Sunlove Home at 6367 6615.
In a statement issued on Friday (Aug 1), the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) said it is actively coordinating with other social service agencies to support Mr Muniandy’s family.
“Our support will include immediate financial assistance and items to help the child in the family. Our social workers from the SINDA Family Service Centre are also visiting the family to understand their further needs and render support accordingly. SINDA remains committed to standing by the family in their time of need,” it said.
