Common Causes for Fires in Indoor and Multi-storey Car Parks
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the frequency and causes of fires in indoor and multi-storey car parks, as raised by MP Melvin Yong Yik Chye. Minister of State for Home Affairs Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim reported that fire incidents rose from 14 in 2020 to 36 in 2024, primarily due to engine overheating, electrical faults, and discarded lighted materials. He explained that car parks must comply with Fire Code standards, including fire-rated walls, ventilation, and basement sprinklers, to ensure fires are effectively contained. Regarding electric vehicles (EVs), the Minister of State highlighted that charging stations are governed by Technical Reference 25, which mandates safety distances and power cut-off switches regardless of car park level. He concluded that while EV fires take longer to extinguish due to thermal runaway, existing fire safety infrastructure and first-responder capabilities remain essential for maintaining safety.
Transcript
10 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many instances of fire have been reported at indoor and multi-storey car parks in each of the last five years; (b) what are the common causes of these fires; and (c) what are the measures put in place to ensure such fires are tackled and contained in a timely manner.
The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, the common causes of fires in indoor and multi-storey car parks include: firstly, vehicular issues such as the overheating of the engine compartment; secondly, electrical faults in ancillary car park infrastructure; and thirdly, indiscriminately disposed lighted materials.
The annual incidence of such fires remains low. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of fire incidents at indoor and multi-storey car parks each year was 14, 12, 18, 27 and 36 respectively. The increase in incidents in 2024 was largely driven by an increase in vehicular fires, none of which involved electric vehicles (EVs).
Car parks in Singapore are required to be designed with fire safety provisions. For example, indoor car parks are built with fire-rated walls and doors to contain the fire from spreading to other parts of the building. A car park should also be well-ventilated naturally or by mechanical means to dissipate any heat or smoke. In addition, sprinklers are required for enclosed basement car parks. These fire safety measures are regularly maintained and inspected, as required under the Fire Code.
Mr Speaker: Mr Yong.
Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Sir, I thank the Minister of State for his response. If I heard correctly, he mentioned that none of the fires in the car parks are related to EVs, but as more and more car owners are adopting EVs, I would also want to highlight a concern with the EV chargers. And also, if I remember correctly, the Singapore Civil Defence Force did mention that to put out an EV fire is much harder than a traditional fire.
So, have there been experiments or trials to see how our firefighters can do better, should an EV fire happen in multi-storey car parks? And are there guidelines on where the EV chargers should be installed within a multi-storey car park to better facilitate, especially our firefighters, in combating a fire should it occur? For example, should chargers be placed only on the ground level of a multi-storey car park?
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. Yes, we understand that there have been developments, especially in EVs over the years. So, our officers and within the fire safety fraternity, there has also been discussion and also guidelines being developed. For Singapore, we have such guidelines. Particularly for EV chargers, we have the Technical Reference 25 (TR 25), which is a nationwide standard. And we do not restrict EV chargers to any level of the car parks, but they need to comply with safety distances and also install the power cut-off switch within a certain distance. So, that is one aspect.
And the Member also asked about the difference between how much time is taken. Essentially, most EV fires resulting from thermal runaway will take longer to extinguish because the fire is self-generating. And as the thermal runaway produces heat and with oxygen that continues to fuel the fire, it would take several hours to extinguish, whereas for the internal combustion engine vehicles, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
What is key is that we need to play our part, making sure to look out for such instances, where there are items. Also, at the same time, there are fire extinguishers available at the Housing and Development Board blocks, and when there are such fires, we should use these. But also be mindful that there are certain aspects where you just need to call 995 immediately. We are very fortunate today, we have many more people who are first responders and can help to fight fires and to keep our environment and amenities and infrastructures safe.