Footage has emerged online showing the cause of the deadly Sandalwood Fire in California that destroyed 74 structures and killed two people late last week and over the weekend.
Local resident Shawn M Melvin found himself driving behind a garbage truck on Thursday with smoke billowing out of its top. He had his son start to record video of the truck and captured the moment it pulled over to the side of the road. The video soon cuts off, but τηε police soon confirmed that the driver dumped the smoking trash on the side of the road and, before long, it sparked the massive blaze.
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Speaking το ABC 7, Melvin said he tried to persuade the truck driver to not dump the flaming trash so close to a field.
“I was pleading with him, begging with him, don’t stop here. If you already have fire coming out the top of the hopper, it’s gonna catch [the field on fire],” he said. “Go anywhere, even pull onto the overpass on the 10 freeway, anywhere but here.”
Immediately after realizing that the truck driver was not going to heed his advice, Melvin raced to a nearby middle school to pull his daughter out of class. Just 15 minutes later he said he could see and smell the smoke of the fire from the school’s parking lot.
Authorities say they are still investigating whether criminal charges will be filed against the driver or the company he works for.
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