SIX double-decker buses, worth about $3 million, went up in
flames at the Ang Mo Kio bus depot Sunday morning.
Bus drivers arriving for work at the depot along Ang Mo Kio
Street 63 were confronted by the acrid smell of smoke, and the
burnt-out shells of the smouldering half-dozen buses.
'There were so many policemen and firemen around. I was shocked
to hear that six buses had been burned...this is the first time I
have seen anything like this,' said one 44-year-old bus driver, who
arrived around 5.30am.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is currently
investigating the cause of the fire, though it is not known at this
point if someone deliberately set fire to vehicles, estimated to be
about $500,000 each.
The SCDF added that the fire was contained within the six buses,
as the rest of the fleet were parked farther away. A security guard
on duty raised the alarm. No one was hurt.
To ensure the morning services were not disrupted, buses
were redeployed from other depots. The six buses all plied
the No.25 route from Ang Mo Kio interchange to Bedok interchange. A
spokesman for SBS Transit told The Straits Times that the loss of
the buses will have 'some impact' on day-to-day operations, but
that it would try to minimise inconvenience to its commuters by
redeploying buses where possible.
Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits
Times.
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So we can look forward to a few buses being redeployed to am to
replace tis burned buses..
