Vehicle Workshop in Defu Lane Reportedly Caught Fire As a Motor Has Suddenly Exploded

In our small Singapore, fire incidents are hard to come by, but when they do, we are lucky that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has got us covered.

Fire Breaks Out in Workshop in Defu Lane

On Friday (25 November), a fire broke out in a vehicle workshop in Defu Lane

The SCDF was alerted to the incident at 53 Defu Lane 12 at about 6:40 pm, and the fire was extinguished in an hour. 

According to the SCDF, when they arrived, black smoke billowed from a vehicle workshop involving multiple vehicles parked within the premises. 

The estimated area of the fire was 10 metres by 10 metres.

Gauging the scenario, three water jets were deployed to contain the fire and prevent its spread to the neighbouring units along the lane. 

As of Friday 9 pm, damping down operations has begun. Damping down refers to applying water to wet, burnt surfaces immediately after the fire is put out to prevent any potential fire from rekindling from the hot, burnt surfaces.

Simply put, it makes sure that the fire doesn’t happen again. 

Fortunately, this incident saw no injuries, as all 20 members inside the workshop rushed out in time. 

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Cause of The Fire

The Straits Times spoke with the director of the workshop, Mr Sim Seng Cheng, and it was found out that the cause of the fire was a motor explosion. 

When one of the workers was spray-painting a van, a nearby grill-enclosed motor exploded, and the workers could not get close to it. 

Some workers tried to put out the fire through the grill with a fire extinguisher but to no avail, while others quickly drove the existing vehicles out of the workshop to prevent the spread. 

Nearby eyewitnesses from neighbouring units on the lane said that they saw people rushing out of the workshop while screaming, and they claimed that the flames reached higher than a three-storey building. 

As for the company’s course of action, Mr Sim said they would be permanently relocating to another nearby workshop, at Block 8 Defu South Street.  

“I don’t have any details on the compensation yet. But I’m just glad no one was hurt,” he said.

“Life is more important than business. If someone has lost his life, I wouldn’t know how to tell his loved ones.”

It was truly fortunate that there were no casualties, and we hope the business can bounce back smoothly. 

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Featured Image: SCDF / Facebook