Major traffic congestion on CTE after car catches fire

SCDF personnel putting out the car fire, which broke out on the CTE near the Balestier Road exit. PHOTO: FARHAN HAMID
A fire engine arriving on the scene of the fire. PHOTO: FARHAN HAMID

SINGAPORE - A car caught fire on the Central Expressway (CTE) on Sunday (April 17) afternoon, causing a traffic jam that stretched all the way to Ang Mo Kio.

According to a series of tweets by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the incident took place after the Balestier Road exit in the direction of the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).

Its last update at 2.48pm said there was congestion till the Braddell Road/Lorong Chuan exit.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire, which involved the car's engine compartment, at around 1pm.

"A fire engine and two red rhinos were deployed and the blaze was swiftly put out using a water jet," said a spokesman.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

A photo posted by Facebook user Su Yingjia showed several firefighters attempting to put out the blaze, which had engulfed the front portion of a red BMW sedan.

Twitter user @daetaeman put up a short video clip of the fire, which was taken from a car travelling in the opposite direction.

Civil servant Farhan Hamid, who was on his way to a wedding on Orchard Road, told The Straits Times he was stuck in the resulting jam for more than half an hour.

"Three lanes on the expressway were closed off," the 29-year-old added.

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