Dangerous situation

Driver jumped out of burning car while driving

The fire destroyed the interior.

(Bild: FF Steyr)

Scenes that are normally only seen in movies. A leaking gas cylinder and flying sparks caused by a short circuit set fire to the driver's cab of a van in Steyr. The driver was able to save himself at the last second, then the abandoned vehicle crashed into another car.

Scenes straight out of an action movie unfolded in Steyr (Upper Austria) on Monday. Unfortunately, the spectacular accident was not a Hollywood production and the driver, who had to jump out of a burning van while driving, was not a professional stuntman. Instead, it was a 53-year-old man from Wels who was taken to hospital with second and third-degree burns after an unusual chain reaction.

The van also crashed into a parked car.

(Bild: FF Steyr)

Leaking gas cylinder set the driver's cab on fire
According to information from "Krone", this is how it happened: while the 53-year-old was driving through Steyr in a van belonging to a painting company at around 10 a.m., a small gas bottle under the driver's seat - probably a spray paint can - came into contact with one of the vehicle's batteries and caused a short circuit. This caused a small hole in the bottle, allowing the gas to escape. The short circuit caused sparks to fly, which in turn ignited the gas - a jet of flame set the driver's cab of the van on fire.

This was not an everyday operation. We were at the scene with two fire engines and 25 men.

Gerhard Praxmarer, Bezirksfeuerwehrkommandant der Stadt Steyr

The driver jumped out of the vehicle at the junction between Sierninger Straße and Seifentruhe, which then crashed into a parked car at the side of the road. "This was not an everyday operation," said Steyr district fire brigade commander Gerhard Praxmarer the day after the accident.

A passer-by helped immediately with a hand-held fire extinguisher
The Steyr fire department was on site with two fire engines and 25 firefighters. "A passer-by had already taken initial measures with a hand-held fire extinguisher. We carried out safety work and supported the towing company in recovering the vehicle," continued Praxmarer. A minor matter after the terrible accident: the car is probably a total loss.