ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION
A petrol tanker was engulfed by flames causing guests inside a nearby hotel in Melbourne, Australia to flee to safety on Sunday (December 11).
In what should have been a routine delivery to a petrol station, the tanker's driver had just stepped out of the vehicle when the flames occurred.
The driver was confronted by a wall of flames 150 metres (492 feet) in length.
The tanker was holding tens of thousands of litres of fuel onboard at the time of the incident.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which is currently unknown. There were reports of lightning in the area at the time. Authorities are looking into it to see if it played a role in causing the flames to erupt.
Meters away, at a nearby hotel bar, hundreds of patrons grabbed their belongings and fled, moments before flames leapt at the balcony.
Local media reported that the tanker sustained a large hole in the side of one of its tanks. The fuel may have leaked down a hill, and somehow ignited.
Around 100 fire fighters fought to stop the fire spreading.
The 35-year-old driver was taken to a Melbourne hospital with burns to his arms and legs, and is in a critical condition, local media said.