Arlington Heights mail carrier lauded for quick thinking prior to garbage truck explosion

Rafael Pozo, a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier, was wrapping up his shift earlier this month in northwest suburban Arlington Heights when he noticed something out of the ordinary: a burning garbage truck.

Pozo, the safety captain on his team, knew what he had to do — help the driver.

“He stepped out of the vehicle and seemed to be ok, not injured. Grabbed his onboard extinguisher,” Pozo recounted. “The problem is that these onboard extinguishers, they’re not going to be able to put out a fire of that size.”

So, the letter carrier acted immediately and called 911.

Police officers and firefighters arrived within seven minutes. A mere four minutes later the truck exploded.