Lorry catches fire on Lornie Road, causes 3-hour traffic jam

SINGAPORE  — A lorry that caught fire on Lornie Road yesterday morning caused a three-hour traffic jam that extended all the way to Braddell Road at one point.

No one was injured in the incident, with firefighters putting out the flames with a hosereel, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

Motorists and commuters were first alerted to the incident at 7.31am via the traffic website, One Motoring.

The SCDF sent one fire engine, one Red Rhino and two fire bikes to the scene, at the junction of Lornie Road and Sime Road, towards Farrer Road. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Pictures posted on social media by motorists driving past showed the lorry engulfed in thick black smoke.

Mr Wan Zhong Hao, who was travelling from Bishan to Jurong, said he was stuck in the traffic jam for about 20 to 25 minutes. “It didn’t help that another sedan car (unrelated to the accident) broke down along the same stretch,” said the 28-year-old freelance photographer.

Yesterday’s incident is the latest in a recent spate of vehicles catching fire on roads here.

A week ago, a Trans-Cab taxi travelling in the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway tunnel towards Tampines Expressway caught fire and exploded during the evening rush-hour.

On Aug 12, a car caught fire after it was involved in a traffic accident, resulting in the closure of the Havelock Road exit leading out of the Central Expressway.