Fire at SFB

[GLA777]

Sanford, FL (AP) - A fuel-truck driver at Orlando Sanford International
Airport is being called a hero for extinguishing a fire in a tanker
loaded with 10,000 gallons of aviation fuel just feet away from two
jets packed with hundreds of British tourists. Airport officials say
Chris Pugliese "averted a horrible catastrophe."

Pugliese had just pulled his truck under the wing of a Boeing 767,
operated by Flyglobespan, when the truck's engine stalled. He walked
toward the back of the truck where the engine is located, and saw
flames. The tanker driver says he relied on his training to keep from
panicking and put out the fire. Two nearby jetliners were loaded with
passengers and ready to depart for the United Kingdom. Crews estimated
the two planes held 500 to 600 passengers. The planes were moved to
different gates before taking off.

 

[SFBOps]

Sanford, FL (AP) - A fuel-truck driver at Orlando Sanford International
Airport is being called a hero for extinguishing a fire in a tanker
loaded with 10,000 gallons of aviation fuel just feet away from two
jets packed with hundreds of British tourists. Airport officials say
Chris Pugliese "averted a horrible catastrophe."

Pugliese had just pulled his truck under the wing of a Boeing 767,
operated by Flyglobespan, when the truck's engine stalled. He walked
toward the back of the truck where the engine is located, and saw
flames. The tanker driver says he relied on his training to keep from
panicking and put out the fire. Two nearby jetliners were loaded with
passengers and ready to depart for the United Kingdom. Crews estimated
the two planes held 500 to 600 passengers. The planes were moved to
different gates before taking off.

Yea...didn't happen like that. A wire harness caught fire at the back of the truck but was not as bad as it sounded. The fuel truck was not under the wing of the aircraft, it was back behind it, maybe 20ft. The aircraft parked next to the Flyglobespan 767 (the aircraft the fuel truck was pulling up to) was a MyTravel A330 which had just finished boarding (358 pax) and First Choice 767 (257 pax) which had just finished boarding. The only danger to the aircraft was that the airport authority wouldn't let them push for some reason. Just a case of too many chiefs and not enough indians...the wire harness fire was easily extinguished by the fueler, and the only problem became moving the fuel truck off to the maintenance shed. The fuel truck did not catch fire, the wire harness fell on the muffler shroud. The aircraft were not moved to other gates, they just pushed from where they were boarded at.