Driver dies as car goes up in flames

43-year-old man believed to have lost control of vehicle and crashed into a tree

The blaze was put out in a few minutes by SCDF officers using hose-reel water jets. Paramedics later pronounced the man dead at the scene. The police said they are investigating the unnatural death. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

A 43-year-old driver died yesterday morning after his Mercedes-Benz caught fire along Queensway Road.

It was believed that the man had lost control of his car and crashed into a tree on the pedestrian curb, where it then went up in flames, reported Chinese evening paper Shin Min Daily News.

A few workers from a nearby construction site tried to rescue him.

One worker told Shin Min that he heard a loud collision when the incident happened. When he got to the car, he tried to open the driver's door from the inside by reaching in through the smashed window, but could not unlock it.

The driver, who was alone in the car, was unconscious even as the flames spread to his head and legs, the worker added.

As the fire grew larger, the workers said they were forced to retreat and could only watch as the man was swallowed by the flames inside the vehicle.

Both the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the incident along Queensway Road, in the direction of Commonwealth Avenue West, at around 10.30am.

An SCDF spokesman said the vehicle was "engulfed in fire" when they arrived at the scene.

The blaze was put out in a few minutes by SCDF officers using hose-reel water jets. Paramedics later pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The police said they are investigating.

Last Sunday, a car in Serangoon North went up in flames after its engine compartment caught fire.

No injuries were reported.

According to SCDF statistics, there were 93 cases of cars catching fire on the roads in the first half of this year. In the same period last year, there were 114 cases.

Adrian Lim

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 06, 2015, with the headline Driver dies as car goes up in flames. Subscribe