The Truckload Carriers Association is recognizing Mark Olsen and Brad Wenneberg as Highway Angels for attempting to rescue a couple from an RV fire.

Olsen and Wenneberg were in their trucks traveling southbound on Interstate 15 in Utah, 2 miles from the Arizona border, when they came upon the smoking RV on the side of the road. Olsen radioed to Wenneberg that the RV was on fire and the two pulled to the shoulder, grabbed their extinguishers and began spraying the flames.

The motor home was owned by a retired couple who had sold their home to travel in the RV. The truckers found the wife inside the vehicle and left her in the care of motorists who had pulled over to help.

They then helped the husband to free a pickup truck that was being towed by the burning RV. They were able to push the truck to a safe distance. Eventually the flames consumed the vehicle and Olsen and Wenneberg decided to stop traffic from going by because the RV’s tires began exploding. Eventually the propane tank blew up and caught the median on fire.

“We pushed the pickup uphill in 100-degree heat with flames all around us, burning us,” said Wenneberg. “And when the propane tank blew, it shot the biggest flame I’ve ever seen come out of an RV.”

The couple lost everything in the fire and the two truckers pooled together enough cash for the couple to to stay in a hotel, but they refused it. They later wrote a grateful email to L.W. Miller Transportation thanking the drivers for their help.

“It was pretty scary, but whether driving a truck or driving a car, I will stop and help someone if they need it,” said Olsen. “We did what we could for them; at least we managed to save their pickup.”

Olsen and Wenneberg are truck drivers for L.W. Miller Transportation in Logan, Utah, with 25 years of experience. They were nominated to be Highway Angels by members of their company and were rewarded with certificates, patches and lapel pins.

To find out more about the Highway Angel program click here.