Lucky truckie escapes blaze as vehicle ignites near Arthur River

A truck driver had a lucky escape last week after his vehicle was engulfed in flames on Albany Highway near Arthur River. The truckie reportedly heard a bang coming from his engine before his cabin was filled with smoke about 8.40pm on Wednesday last week. At the time he was travelling along Albany Highway near Dellyanine Road, 5km south of Arthur River. He was driving a month-old prime mover loaded with timber on a delivery drop for Bunnings. The Observer understands the cause of the blaze has not been determined. A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said the driver was taken to Wagin Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. Arthur River Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade members battled the blaze, extinguishing it by about 10.30pm. The driver’s wife took to Facebook the next morning to thank the emergency services. “This was my husband and it was a brand-new truck, sadly,” she said. “He’s very lucky he got out OK. Massive thankyou to the volunteer fire and rescue, ambos, police and others that helped. “Big thankyou to his employer for supporting him through this. “It’s not every day something like this happens.” She said receiving the phone call about the fire was a scary moment. “He tried his best with fire extinguishers but it went up way too quick,” she said on Facebook. “He suffered a bit of smoke inhalation and shock but he’s doing OK, just absolutely devastated.” Williams police officer-in-charge Sergeant Andrew Brown said it was a freak accident. “It’s just one of those things that happens. There will be no police investigation — it was a pure accident,” he said. The truck, its first trailer and load were destroyed after the fire reignited just after 11pm, according to a Department of Fire Emergency Services spokeswoman. Williams police shared a photo of the truck on fire in the early hours of the morning, making note of the driver’s “lucky escape”. DFES estimated the damage at $200,000 to $300,000.