SINGAPORE — A series of fires linked to refrigerators at Riversails Condominium was caused by the failure of their motor capacitors, preliminary findings showed. Manufacturer Electrolux is seeking further investigations but is working with the authorities to remove the model of refrigerator from Riversails and four other condominiums.

The four other condominiums are: Katong Regency, Sky Green, The Wisteria and Winsland Serviced Suites by Lanson Place. 

As of April 20, 80 per cent of Riversails' residents had contacted Electrolux, with the majority having had the fridges removed from their apartments. In all, 1,377 of the fridges were installed at Riversails while a total of 398 were installed at the four other condos.

In a media release on Friday (April 23) setting out the early findings, government agency Enterprise Singapore (ESG), which oversees the quality standards of equipment, said that the fridge in question was not sold at retail stores.

The Electrolux model is ENN2754AOW, with the first three digits of the eight-digit serial number being 512 and below.

In addition to the five condominiums, another 32 of the fridges were sold to developers and businesses, ESG said.

Electrolux will be contacting the respective management committees and owners based on their records.

A motor capacitor is a device that holds charges of electricity in refrigerators.

Electrolux said in a statement on Friday that investigations are ongoing to determine the root cause.

“To ensure a comprehensive and thorough inspection is undertaken, we continue to advise and request that investigations of external factors take place at Riversails, including stability of power supply and electrical infrastructure of the affected buildings and sites,” it said.

The firm added that it will “respond in consistency with ESG’s precautionary recommendation to remove the fridges" from the other four condominiums.

When asked by TODAY if ESG’s investigations will take into account the external factors mentioned by Electrolux in its statement, the agency replied that investigations are still ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fires.

It added that the failure of the capacitor could be due to several factors such as the quality of the refrigerators, the operating environment, age, and general wear and tear of the appliance.

“We will continue to work with Electrolux and all other relevant parties to expedite our investigations,” ESG said.

Four incidents involving fridge fires have taken place at the condominium in the past two months. In total, seven such incidents have occurred there since 2018.

Owners may contact Electrolux at +65 6727 3699 or email customer-care.sin [at] electrolux.com for help.