A tow truck driver is being called a hero after his quick thinking prevented a dumpster fire from engulfing a building in flames.
According to authorities in St. Paul, Minnesota, the 35-year-old tow truck driver reported the fire behind a tobacco store in a shopping center on the 2400 block of West Seventh Street, in the city’s Highland Park neighborhood.
The driver witnessed a man light the dumpster on fire and run away. The driver quickly hooked the dumpster up to his truck and towed it into the middle of the parking lot to prevent the flames from damaging the tobacco shop. Responding firefighters were able to deal with the burning dumpster while another officer extinguished a smaller fire near the strip mall.
Officers apprehended a man fitting the suspect description a few blocks away, near the intersection of Maryland Drive and Stewart Avenue. The man was identified and arrested.
There were no injuries and no buildings were damaged, said police spokesman, Steve Linders. The dumpster fire left no marks on the tow truck.
The driver, using the name Shreppy, posted a video of the incident on TikTok on the morning of April 20.