Warehouse employee wakes trucker in burning semi, avoids major inferno 

A warehouse employee may have saved the life of a sleeping truck driver at a facility in California on Wednesday. 

The incident happened at around 2 p.m. on April 6th at the Exeter Specialties packing house in Exeter, California at the corner of Palm and G streets. 

According to The Sun-Gazette, receiver Joey DeAnda was about to pick up delivery when he noticed flames coming from the reefer unit of a truck parked at the facility. DeAnda says he was about to go inside and grab a fire extinguisher, but quickly noticed the truck driver was not at the check-in area, so he ran over to the truck to peek inside. Sure enough, DeAnda noticed no one was in the driver’s seat so he peered in through the window, where he saw the driver laying down in his sleeper berth. Luckily, DeAnda was able to get the attention of the truck driver, who promptly exited the truck. 

“He was laying down and I didn’t see him at first,” DeAnda said. “I’m glad I checked.”

DeAnda then grabbed a fire extinguisher, but by the time he reached the burning truck the flames had spread, so the fire department was called. Five firefighters and three fire engines got the flames under control within 15 minutes, and kept it from spreading to the staging area where cartons of oranges were waiting to be loaded onto trucks. No one was hurt, and the only property damage was to the semi truck that initially caught fire.