Truck driver killed by toxic fumes
A truck driver was killed when a plastic kettle used to boil water melted and set fire to the cab of his prime mover.
The driver had stopped at a truck bay for a break, placed the kettle on the passenger's seat and plugged the small 12/24 V kettle into the cigarette lighter before climbing into the sleeper cab for a rest. The driver fell asleep and, after he did, the kettle boiled dry. The kettle was not fitted with a safety cut-out device and consequently the kettle melted and eventually set fire to the seat of the truck.
The doors and windows of the truck were fully sealed resulting in the fire self-extinguishing due to a lack of oxygen, but not before the toxic fumes from the fire overwhelmed the driver, who died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
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