A truck driver who was traveling on Interstate 78 was stopped by a highway trooper and ordered to exit his vehicle, moments before it exploded into flames.
The incident occurred around 1 p.m. on Wednesday in Greenwich Township, Pennsylvania.
According to WFMZ-TV, truck driver Hercules Santos said he smelled smoke coming from his truck, but was stopped by a state trooper before he could check on it. After pulling over, Santos says he wanted to put out the small engine fire with his fire extinguisher, but was ordered to back away from the rig by the officer.
“I thought I could manage it and take the fire extinguisher and do something about it, but the trooper told me to get out of the way of the truck, and that’s what I did,” he said.
Moments later, the engine exploded, engulfing the entire truck in flames. The truck’s cab was completely destroyed by the time firefighters extinguished the flames.
The incident caused heavy congestion on both sides of the highway, but thankfully nobody was injured.
Firefighter Ethan Stump said the driver is lucky to be alive. “For the driver to be that lucky, I mean, it’s really something,” he said.