Driver tows burning trailer out of shed

When a neighbor noticed a light glow in the shed, he informed the driver couple who own the trucks in the shed. One of the two involved managed to quickly move the burning trailer to the street with a tractor and thus prevent the fire from spreading.

The fire brigade of the Fluvia Emergency Response Zone was on the scene very quickly. Several fire trucks came to the rescue and were able to quickly extinguish the flames. There was a small plume of smoke. Traffic was temporarily unable to pass and about 1:30 a.m. firefighters moved the smoldering trailer to a site about a kilometer away. They dumped the incinerated waste there.

“Good luck involved”

“There is a lot of luck involved,” says Jan Stevens, mayor of Wielsbeke. According to Stevens, the Fluvia fire brigade had just completed an exercise and that is why they were ready to fight the fire so quickly.

The mayor also speaks of an enormous “cold-bloodedness” on the part of the driver.

The fire is believed to have started at the top of the trailer, but the cause is not yet known. If the residents had not intervened, the consequences could have been more serious. The truck was in an old shed where there was also an oil tank.