Fire Destroys 31 Honda N-Van In Singapore; SCDF Says Non Were EVs

On the afternoon of Aug 31, a fire erupted at the rooftop carpark of Golden Mile Tower on Beach Road, Singapore, shortly after 1PM. The blaze involved multiple Honda N-Van, all of which were parked in close proximity. 

Eyewitnesses and images shared online reveal that the rooftop had been used to store reconditioned or grey import units of the Honda N-Van that were awaiting sale or rental. Notably, like in Malaysia, the Honda N-Van is not available through official Honda dealerships in Singapore, as it is exclusively offered in Japan.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) responded swiftly, deploying a Mass Decontamination Vehicle (MDV), a pump ladder, a Red Rhino Light Fire Attack Vehicle, and several police Fast Response Cars to the scene along Beach Road.

According to AsiaOne, an eyewitness, Chua, who works at Welcab.sg on the 14th floor of Golden Mile Tower overlooking the 6th-floor car park, recounted the incident, “I was coming back from lunch at around 12.40PM when I noticed that the first three Honda N-Box parked at the lower right corner were on fire.

By then, the first police vehicle had already arrived, and officers were seen quickly making calls. We started evacuating shortly after,” Chua said.

Chua also mentioned hearing more than 20 explosions during the fire. In a statement posted on Facebook, the SCDF confirmed that they extinguished the multiple-car fire using two water jets.

Since all vehicle fires nowadays are somewhat rumours to “spark” fear on electric vehicle adoption, this particular fire was also rumoured the same but SCDF was quick to point out that the Honda N-Van’s involved were not EVs. This is as the N-Van is available in electrified form in Japan.

A total of 31 units of Honda N-Van were destroyed completely, while many more which were parked close to these clusters could have sustained heat related damages.

Additionally, a total of 45 people were evacuated from the premises by the police and SCDF, and three individuals were assessed for smoke inhalation but declined hospital treatment.