Twin brothers are thankful for a good Samaritan who warned them their work truck was on fire Tuesday, giving them enough time to pull over before it was engulfed in flames on the transition ramp between southbound Interstate 805 and state Route 163.
The incident was reported around 10:30 a.m., prompting authorities to close I-805 south to State Route 163 south while they responded to the blaze. Details on what led up to the fire were unclear.
Twin brothers Kasey and Justin Gee told NBC 7 they were on their way to work on a job when another driver urged them to pull over.
“Usually, when someone tells me to pull over, one of our machines is tipped over or something,” Kasey Gee told NBC 7. “I didn’t see any of that, and my brother started smelling something. I checked it out a little better and we saw flames.”
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With warning from the good Samaritan, the Gee brothers were able to stay out of harm's way. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD) Chief John Fischer said the blaze came from underneath the truck.
"Because of the location of the truck, it was really difficult to access and so the crews worked on extinguishing the fire while simultaneously having the presence of mind to empty out all the propane in the truck,” he said.
A Hazardous Materials team responded to the scene to clean up roughly 20 gallons of fuel that spilled as a result of the incident and the fire was knocked down shortly after 11:30 a.m., according to the SDFD.
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No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
"I’d rather have the truck go up in flames than us get hurt, so I just thank my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, that we’re both safe," Justin Gee said.
“I’m grateful we’re all right," Kasey Gee added. "I’m glad that guy told me to pull over.”
The freeway was reopened before 2 p.m.
