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Man grateful to truckers for helping with burning truck

A Central Alberta man is saying a very heartfelt thank you to the truckdrivers who saved him and his pregnant wife from a burning vehicle.

EDMONTON — A Central Alberta man is saying a very heartfelt thank you to the truckdrivers who saved him and his pregnant wife from a burning vehicle.

Keith and Kayla Lenz were beginning their move from Lacombe to Saskatchewan.

The couple, along with their dog and five puppies, were driving down Highway 2 when their truck started to overheat.

They pulled the car over and before they knew it, the truck burst into flames.

The couple got out of the truck and started running down the highway, away from the burning vehicle, but turned back when they realized they had forgotten their dogs.

That’s when the Good Samaritans arrived.

“I’m just flappin’ my arms. I didn’t even realize a trucker had already stopped and he was running toward my truck with a fire extinguisher,” said Keith.

The first trucker was Steve Devavanyi, who worked on the flames as best he could until fire crews arrived.

“He was trying to save every bit of my truck he could . . . .the guy was just amazing,” said Keith. “I’ve never hugged a stranger my entire life. I hugged this man and I said, ‘you were awesome, you did everything you could to stop my fire. You know, you’re an incredible guy, thank you so much.’ ”

The second trucker to stop was Kelly Malanik, who told the couple to climb into her warm cab for shelter, then drove them to Red Deer, where they were able to stay with relatives.