Lorry catches fire near PIE

He saw the thick plumes of smoke as he was driving home on the Pan Island Expressway, just before he passed Jalan Anak Bukit Flyover at lunchtime yesterday.

Mr Roslan Samsuri, 46, a senior associate engineer at ASE Singapore, told The New Paper that he eventually saw a burning lorry about 1km after he passed the Bukit Timah Expressway exit.

Mr Roslan said: "It was tilted to one side, probably the front left wheel came off."

He added that there was a liquid, which he believed to be oil, dripping from the lorry.

TNP understands that the lorry driver had noticed smoke coming out of his vehicle while he was driving along the expressway.

ON FIRE: (Above) Mr Roslan Samsuri suspected something was wrong with the lorry's tyres as he drove past it on the Pan Island Expressway.  PHOTO COURTESY OF TNP READER

He then parked on the road shoulder and left the lorry to call for help. The lorry then caught fire and grew bigger despite the heavy rain.

"I was shocked," said Mr Peh Choon, who was driving past the scene at around 12.45pm. "It was quite a big fire."

HUGE FIRE

The 49-year-old, who is self-employed, said that he was driving on the lane next to the lorry but moved one lane away because the fire was so huge.

Other drivers followed suit, causing a congestion.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force was called at 12.40pm and sent a fire engine and one Red Rhino to the scene. The fire was eventually extinguished using a water jet.

There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

ON FIRE: (Above) Thick plumes of smoke and fire were seen coming out of the lorry on the PIE.  PHOTO COURTESY OF TNP READER