A man drove a burning lorry to safety in Kerala, preventing a bigger tragedy
One man's quick-thinking prevented a major tragedy in the town of Kodenchery in Kerala. On Sunday, a lorry laden with rice straw caught fire after coming in contact with an overhead power line, reports Manorama Online. The driver of the lorry stood by helpless, certain that his vehicle would be destroyed in the fire - but one man jumped into action to save the lorry and avert a bigger tragedy.
Shaji Varghese made his heroic entry after the lorry driver jumped out of his vehicle and unsuccessfully tried to put out the fire, which started at around 12.30 pm on Sunday afternoon. Mr Varghese, who is fondly known as Shaji Pappan in his town, hopped into the lorry and drove it into an empty playground in a bid to save the town and its residents from a possible explosion. Not only did he display presence of mind in driving the burning lorry away from a crowded area, Mr Varghese also managed to save the burning vehicle.
According to The Hindu, he drove the lorry in a 'zigzag' manner to offload as much of the burning load as possible. Mr Varghese, along with other volunteers, managed to prevent the vehicle from burning down and safely managed the situation until the arrival of firefighters.
Footage of his daring act has been widely shared online. Watch it below:
"I have been working as a heavy duty motorist for 25 years," Mr Varghese was quoted as saying by Asianet News. "I think my previous experiences in handling similar risky situations in my village and abroad helped me face the challenge."
The 45-year-old added that he has been invited to several public functions since footage of his heroics went viral on social media, and that he has received calls of appreciation from friends and family.
Mukkam Fire and Rescue Services officials also praised Mr Varghese's timely intervention. Pius Augustine, a senior fire and rescue officer, said that the fire station is located 20 km away from the accident spot. The impact of the fire could have been unpredictable had he not managed the situation, Mr Augustine said.
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