A male driver who escaped from a burning car at the beginning of last month has succumbed to his injuries.
The car-burning incident occurred on July 3 at the car park of Block 216, Petir Road in Bukit Panjang. A video circulated on social media at the time showed fire engulfing cars in the parking lot and a man with his body on fire running from the parking lot to the ground floor of the HDB – screaming.
The police confirmed on Aug 22 that the 31-year-old man had passed away on Aug 11 and that the investigation of the case is still ongoing.
According to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), they received the report at around 4 am on July 3, and when they arrived at the scene, they found that a car had been completely engulfed by fire. Firefighters used compressed air foam backpacks to put out the blaze.
A total of four cars were burned in the incident, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, authorities said.
Despite a number of high-profile vehicle fire incidents being circulated on social media, the SCDF confirmed in April last year that the number of vehicle fires in Singapore has been falling.
Statistics from SCDF showed a dip, from 221 cases in 2018 to 195 in 2019 and 153 in 2020 – the lowest in a decade. The SCDF said the number for 2021 has also dropped, with 24 vehicles catching fire in the first two months, compared with the same period in 2020 (43) and in 2019 (38).
The SCDF noted that most of these incidents happened while the vehicles were moving on the road and were usually due to causes such as overheating and electrical faults within the engine compartment.
They have been working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) over the years so that the latter can take preventive steps, such as issuing advisories to motor dealers on the types of vehicle modifications to be cautious of.
Motor dealers said most vehicle fires are caused by modifications, for example, modifications made to stereo, camera, or navigation systems.
While the parts themselves are not hazardous, they sometimes involve bad wiring.
And contrary to popular belief, vehicle fires have little to do with the weather.