Sharing of Incidents on
Electrical Fire
NFEC PREVENTION OF ELECTRICAL FIRE WORKSHOP
8 MAY 2014
MAJ Eugene Phng
Commander
Central Fire Station
Scope
•
Sharing of Case Studies
•
Explosion at a Construction Site
• Fire on a MRT Track
•
Final Message
Explosion at a
Construction Site?
On 4-4-14, this construction site seemed like any other day until 4.55pm…
Before 4.55pm….
There was some noise problem
noticed at the 22,000V switch gear.
Workers were investigating on the
switch gear and breaker.
At 4.55pm, a very loud explosion was
heard. Smoke was coming out from the
substation.
2 workers were seen coming out from
the substation, screaming for help.
Some fire was burning on the men’s
clothing.
When the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived, the fire had already been
extinguished. 2 men were injured in the incident and were taken to the
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) A&E.
-1 suffered from a 15% second degree burn on face, hair, neck, and lower
right arm;
- 1 suffered from a second degree burn on face, torso, upper right arm and
back.

DATE AND TIME :
04/04/2014
16:55 HRS

SCDF RESOURCES AT SCENE :
1 RED RHINO
1 FIRE ENGINE
3 AMBULANCES

INCIDENT :
FIRE INVOLVED A 22KV SWITCHGEAR AT THE SUBSTATION,
STARTED DUE TO A “ELECTRICAL FLASHOVER”

CASUALTIES :
2 INJURED
MRT Track on Fire?

Location:
49, Scotts Road, Newton MRT Station

Date and Time of Incident:
13 February 2013 @ 09:04:02 hrs

Message Text Received by SCDF:
“FIRE AT THE MRT TRACK”
Fire involved the insulation of the electrical cable supplying power to the third rail on the
Northbound Track, situated 5 metres away from Platform A.
Smoke was seen in the Newton MRT Platform during the time of incident.
SCDF resources at scene:
•
•
•
•
•
2 Fire Bikes
2 Fire Engines
2 Red Rhinos
1 Ambulance
2 Supporting Appliances
Total Manpower : 28
Evacuation of Commuters:

Total passengers and SMRT staffs:
Approximately 1200 evacuated by SMRT
prior to SCDF arrival

No one was injured
News …
News …
More
News …
Final Message
Electrical Fire
Electricity does not burn.
… but the items around the electrical sources do
Electrical Fire
Causes of Electrical Fire
• Heat generated by excessive current flow due to electrical short
circuits, overloaded circuits, or faulty electrical equipment.
• Improperly set, improperly selected or faulty protective devices.
• Heat generated by current flowing through loose conductor
termination.
• Electrical equipment deterioration that is left unchecked, causing
malfunction or electrical failure. Normal deterioration can be
accelerated by factors such as hostile environment, overload or
severe duty cycle.
• Circuit alterations, load changes or additions, that are not
monitored.
Electrical Fire
Effects of Electrical Fire
• Fire accidents causing injuries to personnel, loss of lives, loss of
properties.
• Costly breakdowns causing unplanned shutdown of production
equipment.
Thank you