Driver dies after truck bursts into flames
AN INVESTIGATION is under way to establish why a truck veered off Bottelary Road near the Koelenhof intersection and burst into flames yesterday, killing at least one person.
The driver was burnt to death inside the vehicle.
Head of Stellenbosch traffic department, Lizelle Stroebel, said eyewitnesses reported seeing the truck’s tyre burst before it veered off the road, hitting a derelict building before bursting into flames.
She said although the incident caused the death of the truck’s driver, there was no one in the building.
“Stellenbosch Fire Department took the driver out of the vehicle after they doused the flames.
“We have identified the driver and have notified his next-of-kin,” Stroebel said.
She said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the accident.
“Anything could lead to a truck bursting into flames. It could have been because of the impact. It could also be because of the vehicle’s wiring. The battery, a small spark or a disconnected pump could have caused the flames,” she said.
She said the traffic department, provincial traffic and the fire department were quick to respond to the incident. “There was a case of possible homicide opened with police. We do this even if a person is killed on a motorcycle. A case of homicide will be investigated, just in case.”
Stroebel said this incident was an isolated case. “I have been in the traffic department for the past 20 years and this is the first of its kind to happen in this area that I remember.”