Driver hailed hero after Maidstone town centre lorry fire
The moment a lorry driver
notices his trailer is on fire. Video: Ollie Millen
This is the dramatic moment a driver risked his own safety
to steer his blazing lorry away from a busy high street.
Central Maidstone was transformed into something out of a
Casualty scene when the driver spotted smoke billowing out of his
HGV at 4.04pm yesterday.
Firefighters tackle the
blaze at its height
Disregarding his own safety, the trucker hops back into his
smoking vehicle and drives it to a safer place nearby - as the
lorry is engulfed in flames.
The lorry contained £100,000 of furniture.
Now the delivery driver has been hailed a hero for his
quick-thinking actions.
Crowds gathered as firefighters tackled
the inferno that engulfed the HGV in Maidstone town centre.
The blaze broke out at the High Street's junction with
Pudding Lane.
The High Street and Mill Street were cordoned off and 12 buses
were evacuated.
Sophie Griffin, from Jessops in the High Street, said: "I smelt
the smoke and thought it was our shop on fire. I came out and saw
the lorry up in flames."
It is not thought anyone was injured.
Two fire crews were called to the blaze, but it's not thought
anyone was injured.
27/11/12
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