The recent deadly blaze in Hong Kong sent shockwaves across the region. The confirmed toll now stands at 168 lives lost, with 79 injured, a grim reminder of how devastating fires in dense urban environments can be. The incident has reignited an uncomfortable question—how safe is high-rise living in a city that continues to build upward?
In Singapore, vertical expansion is no longer optional. Nearly 80% of residents live in HDB flats, many of which are rising higher every decade. Today, 32 blocks stand between 41 and 50 storeys, while another 162 blocks range from 31 to 40 storeys. As buildings stretch skyward, fire risks evolve in ways that are harder to control and faster to escalate.
The numbers tell a worrying story. 968 residential fires were recorded in 2024, rising to 1,051 in 2025—nearly three fires every single day. One such incident unfolded in November 2025, when a fire erupted in the lift lobby of an eight-storey residential block. Flames spread rapidly, scorching doors, walls, windows, and external pipes. Blackened corridors and damaged units bore silent witness to how close the situation came to catastrophe.
That night, 200 residents were evacuated, forced to wait at the void deck as firefighters contained the blaze. Four people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation. According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the fire was linked to a personal mobility aid (PMA) and became the largest residential fire evacuation of the year.
Active mobility devices—AMDs—are now everywhere. Originally designed to assist those with mobility challenges, they have expanded into mainstream transportation in the form of PMDs and power-assisted bicycles. With their rise has come a troubling pattern. 42 AMDs caught fire in 2022, increasing to 55 in 2023, and 67 in 2024. Investigations consistently point to a single culprit: lithium-ion battery packs.
The danger lies not just in the batteries themselves, but in how they are altered. Many fires originate from modified, uncertified, or tampered battery packs. These batteries are often pushed far beyond their designed limits—overloaded, rewired, or stripped of critical safety systems. When internal components fail, overheating begins. Once a certain threshold is crossed, the reaction becomes uncontrollable.
Certified batteries are built with Battery Management Systems (BMS)—safeguards that regulate charging, detect damage, and shut down the battery if something goes wrong. Modified batteries bypass these systems entirely. In many cases, safety circuitry is physically removed, allowing the battery to function regardless of internal damage. These altered batteries are commonly sold on second-hand marketplaces, often without buyers realizing the risks they are bringing into their homes.
The consequences are disproportionate. AMD-related fires account for just 5% of residential fires, yet they are responsible for over 10% of injuries and a staggering 25% of fatalities. Between 2022 and 2025, more than 70% of AMD fires involved non-certified or tampered devices.
Controlled burn trials on lithium-ion batteries reveal why these fires are so deadly. When overheated, internal chemical reactions accelerate rapidly. Heat generates more heat, triggering a chain reaction across multiple cells. Thick smoke floods confined spaces within seconds, carrying toxic gases that can incapacitate or kill before flames even spread.
Unlike conventional fires, lithium battery fires behave violently. Cells rupture and eject flaming projectiles, igniting objects several meters away almost instantly. Furniture, walls, and adjacent rooms can catch fire in moments. In enclosed apartments, escape windows shrink to seconds, not minutes.
As these risks grow, attention turns to the buildings themselves. Singapore’s public housing has long been designed with fire safety as a priority. Since the 1960s, HDB flats have incorporated fire compartments, non-combustible concrete structures, and fire-rated main doors capable of resisting flames for up to an hour—critical time for evacuation and firefighting.
Design features work quietly but effectively. External corridors are open and ventilated to allow smoke to disperse. Kitchen walls and vertical gaps between units help slow upward flame spread. Structural ledges between floors act as barriers, forcing fires to work harder to climb.
Modern regulations have tightened further. Since 2018, all homes must be equipped with smoke alarms, with ongoing upgrades for older flats. Fire hose reels, wet risers, extinguishers, and emergency response points are strategically installed across blocks. These systems form a layered defense, buying time when seconds matter most.
In super high-rise buildings above 40 storeys, additional safeguards exist. Evacuations are conducted selectively to reduce panic and injury. Refuge floors, located every 20 storeys, provide open, uncluttered, naturally ventilated safe zones. These floors allow residents to escape smoke, move laterally to unaffected blocks, and evacuate without descending dozens of flights of stairs.
Yet even the best-designed buildings face limits. Fires fueled by high-energy lithium batteries challenge traditional safety assumptions. When a single device can behave like a flamethrower, containment becomes exponentially harder.
In a nation forced to build vertically, high-rise fires will remain a constant threat. As active mobility devices multiply, so does the risk they carry into homes, corridors, and lift lobbies. One solution stands out—remove the danger from living spaces altogether.
Dedicated AMD charging zones at void decks could isolate fires before they climb walls and floors. When heat builds, distance can mean survival. In the fight against high-rise fires, sometimes the safest move is simple—keep the spark as far away as possible.
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