A family of seven was trapped in their HDB flat after a personal mobility aid (PMA) battery exploded into flames in the corridor. The incident took place on Monday (Oct 20) at Block 756, Yishun Street 72. One of the family members, 30-year-old Rizwan, told Lianhe Zaobao that his family owns three PMAs — two for his elderly grandparents and one for his mother, 51, who works as a food delivery rider.   They had bought the PMAs three years ago and had no issues as they used original batteries, he told the Chinese daily. But he was unaware that his mother had borrowed a cheap battery from someone as she felt her PMA battery did not last long enough. This battery burst into flames shortly after she plugged it in to charge after making a delivery. She told Lianhe Zaobao that there was a sudden bang outside the door and flames started shooting up from the window.  Rizwan's grandfather initially tried to put the flames out with a fire extinguisher, but they spread too quickly. This caused the other mobility device to catch fire and the family had no choice but to close the door and wait for help.   "When the fire broke out, my two sons asked us to lie on the kitchen floor. Fortunately, except for my four-month-old granddaughter who choked on some smoke, no one else was seriously injured," Rizwan's mother said. 25 evacuated, 1 sent to hospital: SCDF The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that it was alerted to a fire at the affected block around 12.05pm on Monday. The fire, which involved two PMAs along the corridor outside a second-floor unit, was extinguished using a water jet. About 25 people were evacuated from the affected block by SCDF and the police as a precautionary measure, and one person was taken to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for smoke inhalation. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire had likely originated from one of the affected PMAs.   SCDF reminded members of the public that motorised vehicles which are modified, not properly maintained, or charged using non-original chargers pose a fire-risk. 'Thankfully, everyone is safe': Goh Hanyan Nee Soon GRC MP Goh Hanyan addressed the incident in a Facebook post on Monday. "Electricity supply is temporarily impacted for two units. Our contractors will be on-site to restore electricity supply this evening, with further repair works continuing tomorrow," she wrote. The area is also being cleaned up by Nee Soon Town Council's conservancy team, Goh said, adding that investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.  "We thank all residents for their patience and co-operation, and our emergency responders and estate teams for their quick action to keep everyone safe."   In an update on Tuesday, Goh stated that she had visited the unit affected by the fire and spoke to the family. "Most of the damage was external, and thankfully, everyone is safe," she wrote. Goh added that Nee Soon Community Club staff and volunteers — along with SCDF — will be going door-to-door at Block 756 on Thursday (Oct 23) to share fire safety tips and raise awareness on how residents can stay safe and respond to fire incidents.

better investigate all the directors 

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SINGAPORE: An independent director of Singapore-listed live-streaming firm 17Live Group, which is backed by Temasek’s subsidiary Vertex Venture Holdings, voluntarily resigned after she was added to a US sanctions list over alleged links to a global scam operation.   Karen Chen Xiuling, who joined the board as an independent director in December 2023, stepped down on Oct 15, the same day she was named on the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) list alongside two other Singaporeans and 17 Singapore-registered firms, Malay Mail reported, citing The Straits Times.   The designation bars US individuals and companies from conducting business with them.   The sanctions are tied to 38-year-old Cambodian national Chen Zhi, also known as “Vincent,” and his conglomerate, Prince Holding Group, which US and British authorities have accused of running forced labour scam compounds in Cambodia. Victims were allegedly detained and made to run cryptocurrency investment schemes, or “pig-butchering” scams, that stole billions of dollars from people worldwide. See also  Ho Ching raises eyebrows by re-posting Workers' Party policy proposal on her personal page US officials allege that 43-year-old Ms Chen oversees several companies across Mauritius, Taiwan, and Singapore and is listed as the ultimate owner of various Prince Group-linked entities. The Business Times reported that Ms Chen is a director or company secretary in all 17 of the sanctioned Singapore-based firms. In a filing with the Singapore Exchange, 17Live confirmed Ms Chen’s resignation, noting that the board was made aware that Ms Chen was on the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) SDN list on the evening of Oct 15, but clarified that she was not involved in the company’s business or operations. The firm also said it had never conducted business with Ms Chen, her company DW Capital Holdings, or Mr Chen Zhi.   Shares of 17Live fell 1.6% following the announcement.