A 26-year-old driver was pulled out from a burning truck on the night of April 18 near Rilangthang in Tsirang. He did not suffer any injuries.

It was around midnight when the driver noticed sparks erupting from beneath his seat. Within seconds, a fire began and the driver’s chamber was filled with smoke. The driver lost consciousness.

The driver’s brother who was following him in another truck immediately stopped and pulled him out of the burning truck.

Both were on their way to the Punatsangchhu project to deliver cement from Nganglam.

The destroyed truck was carrying 240 bags of cement worth about Nu 75,000. The Tsirang police was immediately called for help but the police reached the site at 9am the next morning, driver Ugyen Penjor said.

“My body trembles to think about the incident. I was lucky that I had someone following me,” he said. He added that had the police come to the site the same night with a fire engine, at least the cement could have been saved.

“Moreover I was worried the high flames from the truck might cause a forest fire,” he said. The two brothers waited until morning for firefighters and left for Punakha when it did not arrive. He added the fire could have started from a short circuit. However, the drivers pointed out that a mechanical failure may not be possible because the truck is just six months old.

The driver, a father of two, also lost Nu 8,000 in the fire. The truck was entirely destroyed and can only be sold as scrap.

Meanwhile, Tsirang police said when they reached the site next morning, the truck was still burning and the fire engine extinguished the fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Nirmala Pokhrel | Tsirang

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