SMRT bus captain Yau Minddin Bin Muhamad had a moment of deliberation when he saw a car on fire near KK Women's and Children's Hospital, but concern for the vehicle occupants spurred him into action.

The 48-year-old had been driving bus service 960e back to Woodlands Depot when he passed by the burning BMW along Bukit Timah Road on Sunday (Aug 17) evening.

In an interview with AsiaOne on Wednesday, Yau said he stopped his vehicle at a bus stop ahead and thought for "a couple seconds" if he should lend a helping hand.

"Then, I saw the driver waving but no one helping," he recounted.

"If my family or our colleague was trapped there, I cannot just ignore and leave it...if something happened [like an] explosion, I cannot forgive myself."

The bus captain of almost 10 years grabbed a portable fire extinguisher on board the bus and ran across the road.

"No matter who they are, strangers or [someone] close, it's not important. That's why when I reached, the first thing I asked was whether any person was trapped in there."

After confirming that there was no one inside, Yau aimed and sprayed the fire extinguisher at the flames engulfing the car's front engine.

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Five minutes into the operation, however, what appeared to be a "minor explosion" occurred, according to Yau. The fire extinguishing agent had also run out.

Thankfully, responders from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) soon arrived at the scene.

While Yau had wanted to continue fighting the car fire with a fellow bus captain using another fire extinguisher, they were advised not to by an officer as the blaze had grown bigger.

The other bus captain had also spotted the fire, and stopped to help. The two subsquently left the scene.

 

Yau revealed to AsiaOne that he only realised later that he had suffered a minor injury in the process of putting out the fire.

"When I reached home, I just touched my right hand, then I felt pain...Maybe this 'burn' [happened] during the minor explosion...but it's okay."

He added that he feels happy to be able to help: "Whether people know or not, or whether they appreciate, It's not important."

SCDF said in an earlier statement that it extinguished the fire using a water jet and a hose reel.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Additional reporting by Lau Han An.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com