Different reactions to seeing a vehicle on fire
THE video of a burning pickup truck at Ulu Pudu in Kuala Lumpur drew more than a thousand comments within hours of being uploaded.
The video started with a white Ford Ranger grinding to a halt at the end of a small bridge over a monsoon drain with a big fire at the cargo bed. The driver got out of the car, left the door open, took a look at the flames, gestured for assistance and then walked to the other side, opened the passenger doors and left them open.
Help came quickly. The first was a person with a small fire extinguisher better suited to put out a small fire at home. The small amount of gas discharged from the nozzle had no effect on the big fire. The next person managed to activate a bigger fire extinguisher on the second try, but his attempt too was to no avail.
Finally, the driver was handed a full-sized 10kg ABC dry powder extinguisher, and the fine white powder was expelled the moment he squeezed the trigger and burst open the cartridge that contained compressed nitrogen.
He seemed to have smothered the flames near him but soon ran out of extinguishant and gave up. The pickup is as good as destroyed as the fire eventually engulfed the entire passenger cabin. Only the engine, transmission, steering and front suspension could be salvaged for used parts.
It is not known what the vehicle’s cargo bed was carrying and the cause of the fire. If the pickup was not used for commercial purpose, the owner could easily claim and receive compensation from the motor insurance company.
If it was damaged by flood or fallen tree, it would not be covered under the standard motor insurance policy.
In any case, the public ought to bear in mind that all commercial vehicles are required to have an operable fire extinguisher on board. Major companies that distribute fire extinguishers should encourage vocational drivers to stop their vehicles and help put out fires by offering to reload their spent fire extinguishers for free.
Those who use fire extinguishers should go near to the flames without putting themselves in danger, before squeezing the trigger to prevent wastage of carbon dioxide gas or dry powder.
And always shoot at the base of the flame where the fuel is and the material is burning, and not at the flames which are escaping gases.
Some of the comments in the viral video include “call ambulance” and “call bomba”. To me, both are not quite correct. It should be “dial 999”, and the emergency response operator will be able to dispatch the nearest fire and rescue team to the scene, or if need be, the nearest ambulance or police team.
There is no need for the public to locate the nearest Bomba, hospital or police station. And “999” can still be reached even if a prepaid phone has run out of credit. ‒ YS Chan, Oct 30, 2025