Trailer catches fire on NSE near Tangkak

Bomba trying to extinguish the fire.

JOHOR BARU: A trailer caught fire on the North–South Expressway near Tangkak, some 180km from here, resulting in a kilometre-long crawl.

Tangkak OCPD Supt Mohd Idris Samsuri said the incident occurred at about 8.15am on Tuesday.

The trailer's driver, identified as R. Vasanthan, was on his way to Singapore to send a shipment of soft drinks from Kuala Lumpur.

"A front tyre that burst caused the trailer to skid and land on its side before it caught fire.

"The driver escaped unhurt and the incident did not involve other vehicles," Supt Mohd Idris said in a statement here on Tuesday.

He said that the southbound lanes of the expressway were entirely blocked, resulting in a 1km crawl.

He added that Fire and Rescue Department personnel have since put out the fire and cleared the way for motorists.

"PLUS officials also opened up a contra flow to ease congestion and the traffic flow returned to normal at about 10.15am," he said.