Horses Survive Melbourne Truck Fire

Two horses and a baby were lucky to escape unhurt when a truck they were traveling in on a busy Melbourne freeway suddenly burst into flames.

The vehicle was being driven on the Monash Freeway, near Malvern East, when it ignited around 8.20pm (AEDT) last night, ninemsn.com.au reports.

A 29-year-old woman who was driving the truck saw smoke coming from the engine and pulled over.

A baby and a 48-year-old man were also on the vehicle but managed to get out before the flames became too intense.

The truck was carrying two horses and a horse-drawn carriage.

An off-duty Protective Services Officer, who was driving past the scene, stopped to help and was able to guide the horses to safety and save the carriage from the blaze.

A video of the chaotic scene, posted online early this morning, showed a number of cars stopped on the highway as the front end of the truck burned uncontrollably with no emergency services personnel in sight.

Quick Link

• Read more and watch video at ninemsn.com.au