Towed truck bursts into flames on AYE
A tipper truck that was being towed burst into flames after one of its tyres had a puncture on the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE) yesterday morning.
The tow truck driver, 51, told The New Paper that he was taking the tipper truck from Koh Sek Lim Road, off Upper Changi Road East, to the company workshop in Benoi Crescent in Tuas when he heard a loud bang from behind as the truck passed the Penjuru Road exit.
The Indian national, who declined to be named, then realised that smoke was coming out of the punctured tyre.
"When I saw the smoke, I drove to the road shoulder and stopped to check," he said.
By the time he got out of the tow truck, flames were shooting out from the front cabin of the tipper truck.
The driver and his passenger, also an Indian national, called their supervisor after failing to put out the fire with water from their water bottles.
Their supervisor told them to call the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and he made his way to the accident site from Changi.
The SCDF said that it was alerted to the fire at around 10.55am and dispatched a Red Rhino, a fire engine and two fire bikes.
Its firefighters arrived in 10 minutes and proceeded to put out the fire. No injuries were reported.
The front of the truck was destroyed.
At its height, the fire caused a traffic jam as curious motorists slowed down to have a closer look.
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