No injuries after car catches fire in KPE tunnel; sprinklers extinguish the flames

SINGAPORE – A car caught fire in the KPE Tunnel on Nov 2, triggering the tunnel’s water sprinklers.

In response to queries, the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire along the highway towards the TPE, after the Bartley Road East exit, at around 9pm.

The fire involved the engine compartment of a car and was extinguished by the tunnel’s water mist system before the fire brigade arrived.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF said.

An X-post from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) at 8.58pm stated that the KPE after the Airport Road entrance was closed due to a fire. A message less than 15 minutes later asked motorists to avoid the tunnel’s second and third lanes.

A video posted on Facebook at 9:20 p.m. showed motor vehicles traveling at low speed in the rightmost lane of the KPE tunnel as SCDF personnel attended to the car as sprinklers sprayed the entire tunnel.

A recent fire in the KPE tunnel on July 23 a car engine was also involved, in which the sprinklers were similarly activated and completely extinguished by the SCDF with a water jet.

According to LTA’s OneMotoring website, the 9km KPE tunnel is equipped with overhead water sprinklers and a tunnel ventilation system that can fight fires and clear smoke.

Fire boxes are located every 50 meters in the tunnel, next to the leftmost lane. Emergency telephones can also be found every 100 meters in alternative fire cabinets.