SMRT taxi catches fire at Woodlands Ave 6, foreign workers attempt to put out flames before SCDF arrived

Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Guan Zhen Tan | January 20, 2017, 12:46 PM

It was an otherwise quiet afternoon to early evening at Woodlands Avenue 6, until an SMRT taxi caught fire at about 6pm on Thursday (Jan. 19).

The driver seems to have escaped the vehicle in time, but here's where it gets cool —

A few foreign workers, who appear to have been in a lorry nearby when the troubles started, were recorded on video bringing out a fire extinguisher to start fighting the fire, which appears to have started from the taxi's engine.

The video then cuts to SCDF firefighters preparing to deal with the fire, by which point the vehicle is almost entirely engulfed in flames.

No injuries were reported from the incident, thankfully.

You can watch the video in full here:

What should I do if my car catches fire, or if I see a vehicle on fire?

According to the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook, if the fire is still small, you can attempt putting it out with a fire extinguisher, as seen in the early part of the video.

Do not open the hood of the car, though, as you will introduce more oxygen, and allow toxic gases to escape.

However, when it gets bigger and puts you in danger, move as far away as you can from the vehicle, and help to divert oncoming traffic and onlookers away from the vehicle on fire.

And, of course, call the SCDF emergency hotline at 995.

Top image via 

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.