Singapore
Fourth vehicle fire in five days: Bus catches fire on BKE, no injuries reported
A bus caught fire on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on 6 March, marking the fourth vehicle blaze in Singapore within five days. The driver and 11 passengers evacuated safely before SCDF extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A bus caught fire on the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) towards the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on the evening of 6 March, making it the fourth reported vehicle fire in Singapore within five days.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) stated that it was alerted to the incident before the Kranji Expressway (KJE) exit.
Images circulating on social media showed the single-deck passenger bus engulfed in flames, with thick smoke billowing into the sky.
Fortunately, the driver and all 11 passengers managed to evacuate safely before SCDF arrived. Firefighters extinguished the blaze using three water jets. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
This latest fire occurred just hours after a car was seen ablaze on Tampines Street 31 in the morning.
That incident, reported at around 7.20 am, saw SCDF putting out the flames using a fire hose reel and a compressed air foam backpack. No injuries were reported.
These incidents follow two other recent vehicle fires. On 5 March, a car caught fire in Jurong West, though the driver escaped unharmed.
On 2 March, a man tragically lost his life after his car crashed on Nicoll Highway, flipping sideways and catching fire upon impact. Dashcam footage showed the vehicle speeding before the accident.
Additionally, on 27 February, a six-car collision on the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) near Paya Lebar resulted in two vehicles catching fire, though no injuries were reported.
SCDF’s 2024 emergency medical services and enforcement statistics highlight that vehicle fires account for the largest share of fires at non-building premises.
Of the 607 emergency calls received for such incidents, 220 were related to vehicle fires. The number of vehicle fires has increased, rising from 215 cases in 2023 to 220 in 2024.
In a Facebook advisory on 18 February, SCDF urged motorists to keep fire extinguishers in their vehicles to prevent small fires from spreading.
However, it warned that if a fire involves an electric vehicle or becomes uncontrollable, drivers should retreat at least 15 metres from the flames and call 995 immediately.
