Bus Driver Commended For Putting Out Fire In Lorry At Tuas

We have probably all been told as kids by our parents that we would someday be heroes who save the day.

This was probably an attempt by our parents to appease our young minds filled with the fantasy of becoming like our favourite superheroes, flying around and bringing justice to the world.

But how many of us can really say that we’ve fulfilled that goal at least once in our lives?

Well, this lady can.

According to The Straits Times, on Thursday morning (26 September), 38-year-old bus driver Thian Siew Mui was driving bus service 247 along her usual route in Tuas.

She had just dropped off her passengers at the bus stop opposite the West Star industrial building near Tuas South Avenue 5 when she noticed the side of a lorry on fire.

She and a driver of another lorry that was ferrying workers sounded their horns at the lorry driver to signal to him that there was a fire.

All three vehicles were stopped along the side of the road, with two of the lorry drivers trying their best to put out the fire with three bottles of mineral water.

Hey, give them some credit too. At least they tried something.

Ms Thian asked the 50 passengers in her bus to give her a moment as she climbed out of her seat to retrieve a fire extinguisher.

Aw yeah! Bus driver lady to the rescue!

In a video taken by presumably one of the passengers on that bus, Ms Thian can be seen running towards the lorry and extinguishing the flames. She also made sure to check that the fire was indeed put out before returning back to her bus.

In a statement issued by SBS Transit, Ms Thian said:

“I just wanted to quickly help the lorry driver who looked helpless and at the same time, ensure that my passengers could continue with their journeys quickly.”

Despite having had safety training before in SBS Transit, this was the first time she encountered a real fire emergency in her daily life.

“I did what anyone would have done in the situation and I’m glad that my training came to good use,” said Ms Thian who has been with SBS transit for nine years.

SBS Transit’s senior vice-president of corporate communications Tammy Tan mentioned that they will be recognising Ms Thian for her bravery and civic-mindedness.

So good job, Ms Thian! Thanks to your swift actions, you have made the lives of the two lorry drivers a lot easier and also made sure that no one was hurt because of the fire that broke out. We salute you!