A van burst into flames outside a mail depot in Northamptonshire due to an electrical fault.
The van’s driver, who worked for the Alpine Carpet warehouse, pulled over when the vehicle began smoking in Vicar Lane, Daventry at 11.20am yesterday.
He tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the blaze, with the help of postman Mark Merrill.
Mr Merrill said: “We tried to get the extinguisher under the bonnet, but it was too far gone and the van went up in smoke.”
The shocked driver, who has not been named, was sent home from work.
A spokesman for Alpine Carpets said: “The driver owned the van himself, it was his livelihood and how he got around. We will be lending him a van in the mean time so he can continue working.”
The van was empty at the time of the fire and caused only superficial damage to one other nearby vehicle.