A taxi caught fire when the cabbie was waiting for passengers at the taxi rank outside Hotel Lisboa yesterday afternoon, the Fire Services Bureau (CB) said in a statement.
When the driver saw fire coming from his taxi’s bonnet, he got out of the vehicle and attempted to extinguish the blaze but in vain.
Firefighters rushed to the scene to hose down the taxi and extinguished the blaze shortly afterwards, the statement said.
The taxi’s bonnet was partially gutted. No one was injured in the incident.
According to the statement, the firefighters believe that the fire was caused by a short circuit.
The road where the fire occurred, Avenida de Lisboa, was closed to traffic for a short period of time during the fire-fighting operation, which resulted in traffic jams in and around the area.
According to local media reports, the taxi is around five years old and was slated to undergo its annual mandatory inspection by the Transport Bureau (DSAT) at the end of this month.
In Macau, taxis must undergo the government’s mandatory inspection every year.
Firefighters work next to the taxi that caught fire outside Hotel Lisboa yesterday afternoon. – Photo courtesy of TDM
