Mercedes EV catches fire in Woodlands after driver notices smoke smell in car

A Mercedes electric vehicle (EV) was seen ablaze with smoke billowing from it at Vista Point mall in Woodlands on Tuesday (July 21).

In multiple images uploaded to the Singapura Channel Facebook page, a red Mercedes EQA can be seen parked just before a bend near Vista Point as fire surges from within the seats.

A separate video circulating on Facebook also shows thick black smoke billowing from the vehicle as onlookers keep their distance.

An emergency vehicle from the Singapore Civil Defence Force can also be seen approaching the scene as the video ends.

@asiaone A Mercedes electric vehicle (EV) caught fire at Vista Point in Woodlands on Tuesday (July 21) morning. No injuries were reported in the incident. #sgnews #Singapore #Fire #ElectricVehicle ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the SCDF said that it was alerted to a fire near the entrance of a multi-storey carpark at 548 Woodlands Drive 44 at around 10am on Tuesday.

The fire, which involved the interior of a car, was extinguished with a water jet. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Speaking to a Shin Min Daily News reporter at the scene, the driver said that she had bought the car less than three years ago for around $230,000 and had never encountered any problems.

She revealed that she was about to leave the parking lot when she smelt smoke, prompting her to leave her vehicle to check.

"After I got out of the car, I found that no one was burning anything nearby," she said.

Instead, smoke began emanating from her vehicle, so she pulled out a small fire extinguisher from her car and called a security guard for help.

But the fire, which began between the driver and passenger seats, spread too quickly, and the driver and security guard gave up, fearing that the vehicle might explode.

"Fortunately, the fire started here," she told the Chinese language paper.

"If it had been on an expressway, I wouldn't have dared to stop. Even if I did, I might not have dared to open my door in fear of passing vehicles, and would have been trapped inside my car."

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