2 SMRT workers taken to hospital after fire breaks out between Orchard and Somerset stations
SINGAPORE — Two workers were sent to the hospital due to smoke inhalation after a fire broke out after midnight on Friday (Oct 16) between Orchard and Somerset stations.
The fire started when an engineering locomotive used for hauling equipment caught fire near Somerset station while headed to City Hall station for regular maintenance works after train operations had ended.
The Straits Times reported that “workers were running for their lives” as thick smoke engulfed the tunnel.
This latest incident comes just two days after an insulation fault on a power cable disrupted train services along the North-South Line (NSL), East-West Line (EWL) and Circle Line in the evening.
Train services along the NSL and EWL resumed after 3.5 hours and after an hour on the Circle Line.
An SMRT spokesperson said on Friday evening that the locomotive was travelling from Bishan depot to City Hall station for maintenance works when its engine compartment caught fire near Somerset station at around 12.35am.
The nine staff members onboard helped to extinguish the fire and evacuated at Somerset station, added the spokesperson.
Two staff were then conveyed to hospital where they were checked for smoke inhalation.
"They have been discharged and are resting at home," it said in an update on Facebook on Friday night.
"There were no injuries to the staff and train service was not affected."
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted about a fire at Somerset station at 12.45am on Friday and that SMRT staff extinguished the fire using four extinguishers prior to its arrival.
The cause of fire is under investigation, said SCDF.
In 2017, a small fire occurred on the trackside in the tunnel between the Marina Bay and Raffles Place MRT, halting services between Marina South Pier and Ang Mo Kio along the NSL.
