SINGAPORE - A car driver died in a fire on Nicoll Highway after an accident involving five vehicles on March 2.

The man was trapped inside his blazing Porsche. His age could not be immediately established.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and police were alerted to the burning car on Nicoll Highway towards Guillemard Road, before the KPE entrance, at 2.10pm.

Firefighters extinguished the flames with a water jet. The man was found inside the charred wreckage of the car and pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.

Seven people who were in the other cars were assessed by the SCDF. Two men, aged 53 and 66, were taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The others declined to be taken to hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, said the SCDF. Police investigations are also under way.

In dashcam videos of the accident uploaded on Facebook, a dark blue Porsche is seen whizzing down Nicoll Highway on the extreme right lane.

It blows past several cars, breaches the road divider and flips on its left side. It then continues skidding sideways at speed on the slip road leading to the KPE, hitting several cars in its path.

The impact causes serious damage to at least two vehicles.

The Porsche bounces before finally barrelling into the road divider. It then bursts into flames, which swallow the car.

In photos of the aftermath, the badly burnt luxury car has only its rear still recognisable and intact.

A passenger in one of the cars that had been hit by the Porsche said everything happened "in a matter of seconds".

The 34-year-old, who wanted to be known only as Mr A, had been in the backseat of a silver Grab car with a friend when the Porsche struck it, smashing the boot.

He said: "We couldn't open the back doors, so we climbed to the driver's seat just to get away. All I was thinking was to get out of the car as fast as I can as I imagined it might explode. I'm just really lucky we had only minor scratches and back pain."

He attributed the relatively minor injuries partly to the seatbelts they had on.

In what Mr A called the "traumatic" moments after the crash, he said his Grab driver and another person rushed to see if they could help the Porsche driver.

"He was screaming for help and knocking against his window but they couldn't help as the flames were so strong."

In an update on X at 2.20pm, the Land Transport Authority said the Nicoll Highway entrance had been closed due to the accident.

The fiery crash is the latest in a recent spate of traffic vehicle combustions.

Three nights ago, on Feb 27, a six-car collision on the PIE near Paya Lebar left two of the vehicles in flames.

One car had caught fire in the crash, with the blaze spreading to the car behind it.

All six drivers involved, including one ComfortDelGro cabby, escaped without injury.

On Feb 18, the SCDF had advised motorists to keep fire extinguishers in their vehicles, after an electric vehicle (EV) caught fire on the BKE the night before.

One person was taken to hospital with minor burns and three water jets were used to put out the blaze.

In a Facebook post, the SCDF said EVs are at higher risk of reignition, or a second fire, even after the first fire is extinguished, due to their lithium-ion batteries.

Car fires were slightly more common in 2024 than 2023, with 220 recorded incidents last year, up from 215 the previous year.

SCDF said the main causes were ignition sources, such as overheating and electrical faults in the engine compartment.

Only one car fire in 2024 involved an EV.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.