SINGAPORE: An SMRT bus caught fire near Woodgrove Primary School in Woodlands on Tuesday (May 5) afternoon, sending thick plumes of black smoke up in the air.
In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire involving a bus along Woodlands Avenue 1 at about 1.40pm.
SCDF extinguished the fire using a water jet and a hosereel.
There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, it added.
In a video of the incident, fire is seen blazing at the front half of the bus, with a pillar of black smoke rising into the sky.
In another video, a firefighter is seen spraying water over the bus, which has been reduced to metal.
Members of the public were first notified about the fire near the bus stop outside Woodgrove Primary School in an alert on the Land Transport Authority’s MyTransport.SG webpage at about 2pm.
It added that bus services 901, 901M and 967 had to be diverted.
Vincent Gay, the deputy managing director of SMRT Buses, said in a statement that the driver of bus service 967 had noticed smoke coming from the driver’s compartment at about 1.30pm, when the bus was stopped at a bus stop.
As a precaution, the bus driver immediately guided all passengers to alight and move to a safe distance.
A fire broke out at the front of the bus soon after.
Gay said the bus driver immediately alerted the Bus Operations Control Centre, which activated SCDF. The bus driver also attempted to put out the fire from a safe distance.
“The bus captain was not hurt. We are investigating the cause of the incident and are supporting the well-being of the bus captain,” said Gay.
In a Facebook post, Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Hany Soh said she is in close contact with the relevant agencies as they manage the situation on the ground.
“I am relieved that all passengers and the driver were able to evacuate safely,” she said.
“My sincere thanks to the SCDF and SPF officers, staff from Woodgrove Primary School, and helpful residents in the vicinity for their swift response,” she added.
Soh advised members of the public to avoid the area and follow the instructions of officers on the ground.
The total number of vehicle fires decreased from 257 in 2024 to 226 in 2025, said SCDF in its annual statistics report on Feb 11. - The Straits Times/ANN
