A 51-year-old bank employee had a fortunate escape after her sport utility vehicle (SUV) skidded, collided with a lamp post, and subsequently burst into flames on Jalan Gapam–Bemban yesterday evening. District police chief Superintendent Lee Robert confirmed that the woman managed to exit the vehicle safely before it was completely consumed by the fire. The incident, which occurred at approximately 6.30pm, resulted in no physical injuries to the driver despite the severity of the crash and the ensuing blaze.
The Melaka Fire and Rescue Department responded to an emergency call at 6.37pm, deploying seven personnel and a fire engine to the location. According to the department’s public relations officer, Deputy Fire Superintendent II Mohd Hafidzatullah Rashid, the firefighters arrived promptly and managed to bring the fire under control within fifteen minutes. By 7.17pm, the operation was officially concluded, although the vehicle was reported to be approximately 90 per cent destroyed by the intense heat and flames.
In the aftermath of the accident, the authorities have initiated an investigation into the cause of the crash. Superintendent Lee Robert stated that the case is currently being looked into under Regulation 10 of the Road Traffic Rules 1959. This specific regulation pertains to the failure of a driver to maintain proper control of their vehicle, which ultimately led to the SUV skidding off the road and hitting the utility pole.
In a separate and unrelated incident earlier that same day, a bonded truck carrying furniture also caught fire in Batu Berendam. The 32-year-old driver had reportedly parked the vehicle in front of the Taman Merdeka Jaya food court on Jalan MJ 31 at around 12.02pm when the fire suddenly broke out. Similar to the evening crash, no injuries were reported in this afternoon blaze as the driver was not inside the vehicle at the time the flames appeared.
The Fire and Rescue Department is currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the furniture truck fire. While the SUV fire was a direct consequence of a road accident, the origin of the truck fire remains unknown and is under technical review. These two incidents highlights a busy 24-hour period for local emergency services, who successfully managed both scenes without any loss of life or serious injury to the public.
