Winnipeg news: Driver rescues passengers from burning van [Video]

A Winnipeg driver was in the right place at the right time when a paratransit van caught fire Thursday morning.

Lorne Mansky was driving to work on Beaverhill Boulevard in Southdale, when he noticed an orange flame coming from below a shared ride-service van stopped across from him at a four-way stop.

“I honked my horn, tried to make the driver aware,” Mansky said. “He didn’t see me, so he proceeded down the street.”

Mansky turned to follow the flaming van, trying to get the driver’s attention. Eventually, he was able to get the driver to stop the van.

“When I informed the driver, an older gentleman, that his van was on fire, obviously, it was a bit of a shock,” he said. “He was completely unaware.”

Mansky believes the van drove over a cardboard box, which got stuck under the vehicle and ignited. He said a bystander in the …