A Turkish milk tanker driver encountered a wildfire on a mountain highway in southwestern Turkey and used his cargo to help fight the flames, aiding firefighters in gaining control of a brush fire that could have been devastating.
Video: Turkish truck driver transformed his milk tanker into an improvised firefighting vehicle. Credit: Social media
Akram Aslami, a milk tanker driver from Denizli province in southwestern Turkey, drove on a mountain road after loading milk at a local cooperative and was on his way to unload the valuable cargo. At one of the road's curves, he noticed thick smoke and flames consuming the nearby brush, but instead of continuing his journey, he decided to take action. Aslami got out of the truck, activated the milk pump in reverse, and began spraying jets of milk toward the flames. Passersby who arrived helped the brave driver direct the stream and even began firefighting efforts around him using clothes and water bottles. A short video, documented by one of the passersby, captured the truck driver's heroism as he faced the flames while he and several other people worked to extinguish the fire using the valuable cargo he had transported.
"After about half an hour, the police and firefighters arrived and replaced me. I asked if they needed me for anything else, and they said there was no need," the truck driver told one of the Turkish media outlets after the incident. Aslami's actions helped stop the fire's spread at a critical stage, which allowed firefighting forces to gain control of the flames. "I didn't do anything unusual, that's how they taught me to behave," Aslami said in an interview.
