Car on fire in Toa Payoh carpark draws crowd, including kids

SINGAPORE – A car caught fire in an open-air carpark in Toa Payoh on the evening of Aug 21, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers, many of them children.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at Block 148 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh at around 6pm that day.

SCDF said the fire involved the engine compartment of a car, and it extinguished the fire using a water jet.

“There were no reported injuries,” SCDF said, adding that the cause of fire is under investigation.

In a video of the fire posted on TikTok by user @doublebubble.co, sparks can be seen flying out of the vehicle, with a plume of thick smoke emerging from the engine compartment.

A crowd is gathered near the scene of the fire and a child’s voice is heard in comments on the video. The sound of a child crying can be heard in the background.

While some are seen hurrying away from the scene,

many remain, transfixed by what is going on. Many of those in the crowd are children, with some of them still in school uniform.

A man in a green shirt and dark-coloured shorts can be seen trying to put out the fire with an extinguisher.

One netizen, noting the behaviour of the crowd, commented that so many appear to have never seen a fire before, adding: “If exploded...”

Another noted: “All kids clap n celebrate.”

In the Civil Defence emergency handbook, the SCDF advised that in the event of a vehicle fire, the public should move away from the vehicle to a safe area and wait for the arrival of SCDF.

“Warn oncoming traffic of the burning vehicle and keep onlookers and others away from the fire. Ensure your personal safety while doing so,” the handbook said, in a note to vehicle owners.