Car catches fire in KPE tunnel, flames put out by sprinklers
A car caught fire in the KPE tunnel on Nov 2, setting off the tunnel’s water sprinklers.
In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted at about 9pm to a fire along the expressway towards the TPE, after the Bartley Road East exit.
The fire involved the engine compartment of a car and was extinguished by the tunnel’s water mist system before the firefighters arrived.
There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF added.
An X post by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at 8.58pm said the KPE was closed after the Airport Road entrance because of a fire. A post less than 15 minutes later asked motorists to avoid the tunnel’s second and third lanes.
A video posted on Facebook at 9.20pm showed motor vehicles travelling on the KPE tunnel’s right-most lane at slow speeds as SCDF personnel attended to the car while the sprinklers showered the entire tunnel.
A recent fire in the KPE tunnel on July 23 also involved a car’s engine, similarly activating the sprinklers and fully put out by the SCDF with a water jet.
According to LTA’s OneMotoring website, the 9km-long KPE tunnel is equipped with overhead water sprinklers and a tunnel ventilation system that can fight fires and remove smoke.
Fire service cabinets can be found every 50m within the tunnel, next to its left-most lane. Emergency phones can also be found every 100m in alternate fire service cabinets.
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