HERO: Wrecker driver tows burning car away from occupied daycare

[TowForce]

 

Port Arthur — Burn marks remain visible outside the Safari Kids Clubhouse on the 3500 block of Memorial Boulevard, a stark reminder of a dramatic rescue by a local tow truck driver.

 

Allen Valka, owner of Opie's Towing and Transports, recounted the moment he leapt into action. "I heard the call. I live across the street at the 3700 block of Memorial," Valka said. "I rushed over and the vehicle was fully engulfed."

 

Valka, who has been in the towing business for over 30 years, described his quick response to the car fire that erupted Wednesday afternoon. "My reaction as what I've been doing for 30 plus years, I hooked onto the vehicle and I pulled the vehicle away from the building, so our fire department could save the vehicle and save the building with those children still inside," he said.

 

KFDM/Fox 4 spoke with an employee at the daycare. She says the children were evacuated and safe.

 

The driver of the 2013 Ford Fusion had left the car running while picking up her children, Valka said, estimating the vehicle was about five feet or less from the building.

 

The charred vehicle now sits in Valka's storage yard. He believes an electrical problem under the hood may have sparked the fire.

 

Despite the potential cost, Valka emphasized that he doesn't care to be reimbursed. "It's not about the money. It's here about the safety of the children, it's here about the safety for the family, it's here about the safety for everything else," he said. "I'll make my money off of it when I salvage it out, but they don't have to pay me anything for it because it's not their fault. It's mother nature, and that's what I stand for."

 

Valka also credited his son for helping block the highway while he towed away the burning car.

 

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