SINGAPORE: Amid what appears to be a surge in road accidents along the congested land checkpoints between Singapore and Malaysia, a video of a vehicle bursting into flames at the Malaysian customs went viral online.
The incident took place in the Sultan Abu Bakar Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex on Tuesday evening (Dec 19), at 9.48pm. Alarming rear dashcam footage of a red vehicle suddenly bursting into flames was shared with the SG Road Vigilante page.
The video footage, taken by the moving car in front of the one that caught fire, captured the red vehicle slowing down to a halt right before a boom barrier. Without warning, the vehicle bursts into flames.
Garnering over 50,000 views, the video footage drew a lot of concerned comments from online users, many of whom wished the driver was safe.
On Thursday (Dec 21), Muhd Suhail, the driver of the vehicle took to social media and revealed that he managed to put out the flames with the fire extinguisher he was carrying in his car and escaped the car – all within 45 seconds.
He said on Facebook, “So, imagine my beloved car deciding it’s time for a spontaneous BBQ session. Yep, flames and all! Now, I’ve poured my heart, soul, and probably more cash than I’d like to admit into this baby. Yet, it always seems like there’s something new popping up, am I right?”
He also shared some pictures of his vehicle after the incident, saying, “Minimal damage, thanks to being ready for the worst in this crazy motorsport world.”
The driver also made sure to thank all the people who expressed their concern. “And hey, for those who asked about us, we’re all doing fine! Gotta give credit to the big guy upstairs and everyone’s blessings for that,” he wrote.
Revealing that the fire was caused by injector leaks are troublemakers, Mr Suhail advised motorists to carry a fire extinguisher to aid in emergencies.
The shock incident took place amid a rise in road accidents, as the checkpoints experience heavy congestion during the year-end holidays. Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) recently reported that over 1.3 million passengers passed through Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints in one weekend, during the holiday period.