MOTORING AND YOU

SAFE AND RESPONSIBLE MOTORING IN SINGAPORE

6000
Vehicle Fire
4973
Statistics
5236
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

5000 4796
& 4600 4470

4000
Case Studies on Recent
FIRE STATISTICS

3000
Vehicle Fires
2000

1000

0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
MAJ Andy ChooYear
Liew Kuan
B.Eng (Mech), CFEI

Fire Investigation Team Leader | Fire Investigation Unit | Operations Department

 SCOPE

- Fire Statistics of Singapore

• Vehicles
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

- Case Studies
FIRE STATISTICS

• Electric Bicycle Fire

• Lorry Fire
• Car Fire
- Summary
- Conclusion
 LIST OF VEHICLE MAKES

1. Alfa Romeo 17. Foton 33. Joylong

2. Aston Martin 18. Geely 34. KIA
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

3. Audi 19. Golden Dragon 35. King Long

4. Austin 20. Hafei 36. Lamborghini
5. Bentley 21. Higer 37. Land Rover
6. BMW 22. Hino 38. Lexus
FIRE STATISTICS

7. Chery 23. Honda 39. Lotus

8. Chevrolet 24. HSV 40. Maserati
9. Chrysler 25. Hummer 41. Mazda
10. Citroen 26. Hyundai 42. McLaren
11. Daihatsu 27. Infiniti 43. Mercedes-Benz
12. Dodge 28. Isuzu 44. MG
13. Dongfeng 29. JAC 45. MINI
14. Ferrari 30. Jaguar 46. Mitsubishi
15. Fiat 31. Jeep 47. Mitsuoka
16. Ford 32. Jinbei 48. Morgan

* Source courtesy from SPH wholly-owned subsidiary: SgCarMart.com

 LIST OF VEHICLE MAKES

49. Morris 65. Subaru

50. Naza 66. Suzuki
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

51. Nissan 67. Tesla

52. Opel 68. Toyota
53. Pagani 69. Volkswagen
54. Perodua 70. Volvo
FIRE STATISTICS

55. Peugeot 71. Wiesmann

56. Porsche 72. Wuling
57. Proton 73. Yutong
58. Renault 74. Zotye
59. Rolls-Royce
60. Rover
61. Saab
62. Skoda
63. Smart
64. Ssangyong

* Source courtesy from SPH wholly-owned subsidiary: SgCarMart.com

 NEWS CLIPPING
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES
FIRE STATISTICS

STOMPer WanAyamNamaikiTora spotted this bus engulfed in flames along the Ayer Rajah
Expressway (AYE) towards East Coast Parkway (ECP) at the Teban flyover at 4.20pm today
(Dec 6).
STOMPers Leong FC and Anita had also spotted the fire from a distance and sent in photos of
the blaze.
STOMPer WanAyamNamaikiTora said:
"This bus caught fire and the smoke was very thick. Even with the windows winded up, I could
still smell the smoke.
"Luckily, no one was hurt and a few Certis Cisco officers were there to call for emergency and
back up.
STOMPer Anita, who saw the fire from a distance, said:
"I saw this fire at what I think is the Teban flyover at the Pandan Gardens area at about 4.30pm
today (Dec 6).
"It looked like it was quite a huge fire.”
 NEWS CLIPPING
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES
FIRE STATISTICS

A taxi caught fire along the PIE on Friday morning.

A Channel NewsAsia viewer was travelling towards Changi Airport after the Lornie exit
when he saw the incident.
The Civil Defence was alerted at 7am and the fire was put out in 10 minutes.
It is investigating the cause of the fire.
No injuries were reported.
 FIRE STATISTICS
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES
VIDEOS
 FIRE STATISTICS
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES
VIDEOS
 FIRE STATISTICS
Total no. of Fires Responded to by SCDF
Full Year Half Year
6000
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

5236
4973
5000 4600 4470 2294
No. of Fires
FIRE STATISTICS

4000

3000

2000 0

1000 2191 2125

0 0 0 0 0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Jan -– Jun
Jan Jun
2013
2013
Year
 FIRE STATISTICS
Total no. of Vehicle Fires Responded to by SCDF
Full Year Half Year
400
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

264
350

300
No. of Fires

270
FIRE STATISTICS

247
250 224 224 127
200

150

100

50 87 95
0 0 0 0 0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Jan –- Jun
Jun
2013
2013
Year
 FIRE STATISTICS
Vehicle Fire Injuries/Fatalities in Singapore
Injuries Fatalities
25
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

20
20
FIRE STATISTICS

No. of People

15

10 9
8
7 7

5 4
2
1
0 0 0 0
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Jan –- Jun
Jan Jun
2013
2013
Year
 FIRE STATISTICS
Total no. of Vehicle Fires Responded to by SCDF
2011
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Cars & Taxis Motorcycles

Buses, Lorries & Others
FIRE STATISTICS

37%
50%

13%
 FIRE STATISTICS
Total no. of Vehicle Fires Responded to by SCDF
2012
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Cars & Taxis Motorcycles

Buses, Lorries & Others
FIRE STATISTICS

46% 43%

10%
 FIRE STATISTICS
Total no. of Vehicle Fires Responded to by SCDF
Jan – Jun 2013
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Cars & Taxis Motorcycles

Buses, Lorries & Others
FIRE STATISTICS

34%
42%

24%
 FIRE STATISTICS
Ignition Sources of Vehicle Fires by SCDF
2011 – Jun 2013
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Overheating Electrical Incendiary Sparks from Collision

5%
FIRE STATISTICS

22% 34%

39%
 FIRE STATISTICS
Breakdown of Ignition Sources of Vehicle Fires
2011
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Overheating Electrical Incendiary Sparks from Collision

FIRE STATISTICS

6%

30%
23%

40%
 FIRE STATISTICS
Breakdown of Ignition Sources of Vehicle Fires
2012
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Overheating Electrical Incendiary Sparks from Collision

2%
FIRE STATISTICS

20%
35%

43%
 FIRE STATISTICS
Breakdown of Ignition Sources of Vehicle Fires
Jan to Jun 2013
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Overheating Electrical Incendiary Sparks from Collision

FIRE STATISTICS

10%

38%
21%

31%
 FIRE STATISTICS
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

CASE STUDY 1
ELECTRIC BICYCLE FIRE
 CASE STUDY 1
ELECTRIC BICYCLE FIRE

Brief Facts of Incident

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Message Text Received from Operations Centre (SCDF)

@ 0923 Hours:
FIRE STATISTICS

“THERE IS A FIRE IN THE KITCHEN.”

Received information from caller @ 0926 Hours:

“THERE IS EXPLOSION”

Received information from responding crew @ 0933

Hours:

“THICK BLACK SMOKE SHOWING”

 CASE STUDY 1
ELECTRIC BICYCLE FIRE

Brief Facts of Incident

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Stop Message from Operations Centre @ 1236 Hours:

FIRE STATISTICS

“FIRE INVOLVED THE CONTENTS OF A LIVING

ROOM. FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE SCDF
USING 1 X 38MM WATER JET. FORCIBLE ENTRY
INTO THE UNIT AND COMMON BEDROOM WAS
DONE USING 1 X PRYBAR AND 1 X RABBIT TOOL.

FIRE WAS CONTAINED WITHIN THE LIVING ROOM

AND OTHER AREAS WITHIN THE UNIT SUSTAINED
SMOKE DAMAGES.

3 X CASUALTIES WERE RESCUED AND CONVEYED

TO SGH.”
 CASE STUDY 1
ELECTRIC BICYCLE FIRE
 CASE STUDY 1
ELECTRIC BICYCLE FIRE

Summary of Incident
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Investigations conducted by the Fire Investigation Unit

(FIU) of the SCDF reveals the following:
FIRE STATISTICS

• Interview with the Owner and his wife wife stating that
the bicycle had caught fire once prior to the incident.

• The son, who owns the bicycle, will charge the

bicycle’s battery from 0500 hours to 1100 hours when
he returns home from work.

• Localized burn patterns of the bicycle’s rechargeable

battery was determined to be the ignition source of the
fire due to overheating.
 FIRE STATISTICS
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

FIRE
CASE STUDY 2
TRUCK REFRIGERATOR
 CASE STUDY 2
TRUCK REFRIGERATOR FIRE

Brief Facts of Incident

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Message Text Received from Operations Centre (SCDF)

@ 0113 Hours:
FIRE STATISTICS

“AT THE PARKING LOT WHOLE SALE CENTRE.

THERE IS A CAR ON FIRE.”

Received information from caller @ 0117 Hours:

“LOCATION UPDATE. 2 CARS ON FIRE. 1

EXTINGUISHED ALREADY.”
 CASE STUDY 2
TRUCK REFRIGERATOR FIRE

Brief Facts of Incident

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Stop Message from Operations Centre @ 0440 Hours:

FIRE STATISTICS

“FIRE INVOLVED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF A

WHITE ISUZU LORRY (YN XXXX L). FIRE WAS
EXTINGUISHED BY SCDF USING 3 X 38MM WATER
JETS.

THE LORRY WAS TOTALLY BURNT. AN ADJACENT

WHITE ISUZU LORRY (YN XXXX X) SUSTAINED
HEAT DAMAGES TO THE DRIVER’S CABIN AND
CARRIAGE AREA.

THE CARPARK OVERHEAD SHELTER SUSTAINED

SMOKE DAMAGES.”
 CASE STUDY 2
TRUCK REFRIGERATOR FIRE
 CASE STUDY 2
TRUCK REFRIGERATOR FIRE

Summary of Incident
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Investigations conducted by the Fire Investigation Unit

(FIU) of the SCDF reveals the following:
FIRE STATISTICS

• The driver of the front lorry had switched on the

engine at 1900 hours and left it running as there were
vegetables at the back.

• At 2200 hours, he returned to the lorry to check if the

engine was running well and the refrigeration
temperature was optimal.

• At 0000 hours, the driver heard people shouting that

there is a lorry on fire and upon rushing back, found
out that his lorry was on fire.
 CASE STUDY 2
TRUCK REFRIGERATOR FIRE

Summary of Incident (Cont’d)

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

• It was the driver’s first time driving the affected lorry.

• It was then concluded that overheating of the engine

FIRE STATISTICS

due to the prolonged stationary running time had

caused the lorry to catch fire and thus suffered total
burn damages.
 FIRE STATISTICS
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

LEXUS SC430
CASE STUDY 3
LUXURY CAR FIRE:
 CASE STUDY 3
LUXURY CAR FIRE: LEXUS SC430

Brief Facts of Incident

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Message Text Received from Operations Centre (SCDF)

@ 1511 Hours:
FIRE STATISTICS

“SILVER CAR’S TYRES ON FIRE..”

Received information from responding crew @ 1544

Hours:

“AFFECTED VEHICLE IS A LEXUS SPORTS CAR.

INTERVIEWING DRIVER FOR FURTHER DETAILS.”
 CASE STUDY 3
LUXURY CAR FIRE: LEXUS SC430

Brief Facts of Incident

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Stop Message from Operations Centre @ 1737 Hours:

FIRE STATISTICS

“FIRE INVOLVED A LEXUS SC430 SPORTS CAR

BEARING LICENCE REGISTRATION NUMBER SJG
XXXX Y.

FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY SCDF USING 1 X

38MM WATER JET WITH CAF SYSTEM.

THE SPORTS CAR WAS TOTALLY BURNT.”

 CASE STUDY 3
LUXURY CAR FIRE: LEXUS SC430
 CASE STUDY 3
LUXURY CAR FIRE: LEXUS SC430
 CASE STUDY 3
LUXURY CAR FIRE: LEXUS SC430

Summary of Incident
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Investigations conducted by the Fire Investigation Unit

(FIU) of the SCDF reveals the following:
FIRE STATISTICS

• The car was seldom driven.

• The last servicing was dated more than 1 year from

the time of fire incident.

• The worn-out right rear brake pads had most likely

contributed to the frictional heat build up.

• The frictional heat caused sparks to emit and thus

ignited the surrounding combustible materials; e.g.:
rubber tires.
 FIRE STATISTICS
Summary of Vehicle Fires

 The evolution and advancement of technology

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

saw the upgrade in vehicle electronics. More

and more vehicles on the road are heavily
loaded with highly sophisticated chips and
FIRE STATISTICS

computers.

 Some of these electronics are specifically

manufactured for the country of origin of the
vehicle and might not be suited to our
country’s condition.
 FIRE STATISTICS
Summary of Vehicle Fires (Cont’d 1)
 Fires from electrical origin could have come
from various factors:
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

 Manufacturer’s default
 Illegal modification
FIRE STATISTICS

 Servicing delay
 Service workshop negligence

 Where most vehicles nowadays require high

level of training and proficiency, there are
many servicing workshops that lacks the
expertise, knowledge and experience in
handling such vehicles.
 FIRE STATISTICS
Summary of Vehicle Fires (Cont’d 2)

 Fires from overheating could have come from:

CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

 Owners’ negligence
 Servicing delay
FIRE STATISTICS

 Service workshop negligence

 Failure to conduct the daily routine checks

could prove costly and result in the loss of
vehicle usage!
 FIRE STATISTICS
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES
Tips of The Day!

W ater
O il
FIRE STATISTICS

L ights
F uel
T ires
A ccesories
B rakes
 CONCLUSION
CASE STUDIES ON VEHICLE FIRES

Let us learn from the past

incidents and be better prepared!
FIRE STATISTICS

Thank you for your attention.