A plumbing engineer was lucky to escape without serious injury after his van was completely destroyed in a fire.

On Wednesday July 20, in Aylesbury, a van belonging to JR Heating and Plumbing Solutions went up in flames, with the vehicle and all of its contents completely destroyed.

Quick-thinking engineer Thomas, who had been using the van, immediately called the fire brigade and police. His actions helped to prevent the fire from spreading to any nearby foliage or houses.

Tragically, all of Thomas’s tools, many of which he paid for himself, were lost in the blaze.

However, in the days since the fire, hundreds of pounds have been raised through a Go Fund Me page to help pay for a new set of top-quality tools for the plumber.

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It is not clear how the fire started.

In a post on social media, JR Plumbing and Heating Solutions Ltd praised Thomas for his reaction to the emergency.

It said: “Thomas is an extremely professional engineer who took so much pride in his tools and spent a lot of his own wages on having the best tools to enable him to carry out his work to his best.

“Our heart breaks for his loss, however these are only tools and possessions and can be replaced in time.

“However we should never underestimate the financial impact these tragedies have on individuals and small businesses.

“The JR team are a strong family company and this experience has shaken us all for sure but we wake up this morning extremely grateful that Thomas and all others involved are safe and well.”

The heartbreaking story stirred an emotional response in many, and the community has leapt to Thomas’s aid in the days since the fire.

A Go Fund Me page was set up by another local plumbing firm – SMP Gas & Heating Ltd – to help raise money to get Thomas a new set of tools.

At the time of writing, the fundraiser had already reached £875.

To view the Go Fund Me page, click here