Driver of blazing truck still missing

MBOMBELA – The driver of the truck which caught fire on Friday has still not emerged. Officials do not know whether the man had been hijacked when the truck came to a standstill or if the man feared he might be charged with the damages of the truck.

“At first we thought the driver left to find help, but in the time we were on the scene he never returned,” said lead firefighter Mr Greg Fouché.

The truck was carrying reels of paper caught fire on the R539 in Schoemanskloof on Friday morning, temporarily obstructing traffic. Fire-and-rescue teams managed to extinguish the inferno in a short time.

As far as can be told, no one was injured.

Mbombela Fire and Rescue was called to the scene.

Lead firefighter Mr Greg Fouché said the cause of the fire has not been established.
“The truck driver was gone when we arrived. We don’t know how or if he fled the scene or left for help, but at 10:00 this morning he still had not returned. That makes it difficult to determine the cause of the fire, but we think the truck must have braked and the heat from the brake pads set the paper rolls alight.”

The incident occurred between Viva filling station and the landmark known as Old Joe.
Traffic toward the city was temporarily obstructed as firefighters cleared the road.
“By the time we arrived parts of the truck had already burnt out, so we managed to extinguish the fire in a short time,” said Fouché.
Van Wettens towing company were called to the scene to remove the charred vehicle. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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