SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): A car driver died in a fire on Nicoll Highway after an accident involving five vehicles on March 2.
The man had reportedly been trapped inside his blazing Porsche. His age could not be immediately established.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police were alerted to the burning car on Nicoll Highway towards Guillemard Road, before the KPE entrance, at 2.10pm.
Firefighters extinguished the flames with a water jet. The man was found inside the charred wreckage of the car and pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.
Seven more people who were in the other cars were assessed by SCDF. Two men, aged 53 and 66, were taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, said SCDF. Police investigations are also under way.
In two videos taken from dashcam footage of the accident uploaded on Facebook, a cobalt blue Porsche, which is flipped on its left side, blows past several cars at high speed on the extreme right lane.
It hits several cars in its path, causing serious damage to at least two vehicles.
The Porsche bounces in mid-air, before finally stopping at an angle on the road divider. After a beat, it bursts into flames that swallow the car.
In photos of the aftermath, the badly burnt luxury sedan has only its back still recognisable and intact.
The fiery accident is the latest in a recent spate of traffic combustions.
Three nights ago, on Feb 27, a six-car collision on the PIE near Paya Lebar left two of the vehicles in flames.
One car had caught fire in the crash, with the blaze spreading to the car behind it.
All six drivers involved, including one ComfortDelGro cabby, escaped without injury.
On Feb 18, the SCDF had advised motorists to keep fire extinguishers in their vehicles, after an electric vehicle came alight on the BKE the night before.
One person had been taken to hospital with minor burns and three water jets were used to put out the blaze.
In a Facebook post, it said EVs are at higher risk of reignition, or a second fire, even after the first fire is extinguished, due to its lithium-ion batteries.
Car fires were slightly more common in 2024 than 2023, with 220 recorded incidents last year, up from 215 the previous year.
SCDF said the main causes were ignition sources, such as overheating and electrical faults in the engine compartment.
Only one car fire in 2024 involved an EV. - The Straits Times/ANN
