SINGAPORE - A tower crane at an industrial park in Woodlands burst into flames after it was apparently struck by "strong lightning" on Thursday (Dec 24) morning.

A video of the incident was uploaded on Twitter by user @fitr_firh, which showed flames and a plume of thick black smoke emitting from the crane's operator cabin.

It was raining heavily when the fire broke out, according to @fitr_firh.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at 208 Woodlands Industrial Park E9 at 11.59am and dispatched a fire engine, red rhino and support vehicle to the scene.

Upon arrival, several firefighters then climbed up the crane and extinguished the blaze in the cabin using a fire extinguisher.

The cabin was empty and no injuries were reported. SCDF added that it was investigating the incident.

Speaking to Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News, a project supervisor at the worksite said the crane's operator was having lunch on the crane - six storeys in the air - when one of the switchboards in the cabin caught fire.

Upon noticing the fire, he climbed down hastily and escaped unhurt.

This is the first such incident at the worksite, the supervisor added.