Vehicle fires up by 20% from last year

Vehicle fires in the first six months of the year increased by 20 per cent from the same period a year ago.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) mid-year statistics released yesterday showed that there were 114 vehicle fires between January and June — up from 95 last year.

One in two involved motor cars that made up almost 60 cases (52.6 per cent) of vehicle fires in the first half of the year.

Most of the fires occurred while the vehicles were on the road and were caused by ignition sources, such as electrical faults and overheating in the engine compartment, said the SCDF.

A comparison of statistics showed that vehicle fires had been rising in incidence for the first six months of each year between 2011 and 2014, except in 2012, when the number of cases dipped to 87.

Car workshop owners TODAY contacted said they do not usually encounter vehicle fires. Mr Gary, who has been working in the car industry for close to two decades, said the housing of a car’s petrol pump is made of plastic and could crack after six to seven years.

Mr Kelvin Tan, also an industry veteran, said drivers should monitor the radiator and take their car to the workshop if its temperature is too high. AMANDA LEE