Truck filled with peas saves residents trapped by fire

  • 07/06/2017

Ten people jumped to safety from second and third-storey levels of a hotel in China into a pea-filled truck after being trapped by a fire.

The truck's driver Jiang Fengchen, known by his friends as 'Pea Brother', has been hailed a hero for his actions outside the hotel in Qinhuangdao, a city in China's northeast.

In incredible footage of the incident, the 39-year-old can be seen blasting his truck's horn in an attempt to get people out of the way, as dozens of screaming onlookers watch on in horror.

Mr Jiang can be seen parking his lorry, which had an open-top trailer overflowing with freshly picked peas, beneath the top levels of the hotel from as the fire raged on.

A dozen people can be seen jumping into the trailer from metres above, though two of them are believed to have been volunteer firefighters.

His intervention proved crucial as heavy traffic in the area meant fire trucks en route to the hotel to rescue people and put out the fire were delayed - and judging by the video, would've been too late to save them.

Speaking to local media, Mr Jiang said he didn't even think about damage to him or his truck.

"At that time, I was thinking of saving people," he said.

"I wanted to keep my vehicle close to the point and make it closer, to let the people jumping upstairs stop falling on the ground."

Local media have described Jiang Fengchen as "an outstanding representative of the spirit of China".

Newshub.