Truck catches fire

Update

GEORGE NEWS - The driver and a passenger were relieved to escape unharmed from the truck of their employer that caught fire while they were driving on the R102 on Thursday 17 May.

The truck belongs to local farmer Dirk Barnard. Pieter Nel, Barnard's father-in-law, told the George Herald that the driver, Anton Prinsloo and his passenger, Kosie Jonker were travelling between Sinksabrug and the Glentana turnoff when they suddenly heard a loud bang and smelled smoke. When they looked outside, they saw flames coming out from under the truck.

Jonker brought the truck to a standstill and the two managed to jump out before the flames could reach the cab. "They had a big scare and were relieved to have been able to escape in time," said Nel, a member of Wildfire Support Services, who was called to the scene because Barnard could not make it himself.

George Fire Brigade was on the scene soon to put out the fire, but not before irreparable damage was done. Some diesel spilled on the road surface and the road had to be closed for a few hours while Eden Fire Brigade cleaned up.

Barnard said his father bought the truck in 2010. "We think the fire was caused by an alternator that seized, but we have not determined this for sure. The truck was towed to Cape Town."

The truck's cab was destroyed.