A man from Winkler escaped a situation last night that could've turned out very differently.

Just after 2 a.m this morning, Portage La Prairie firefighters were called to a fire on a farm property belonging to Elm River Colony in the Newton area.

A tractor-trailer unit was unloading feed when it struck a hydro line while re-positioning the auger arm. As a result, wires made contact with the tractor and trailer starting a fire.

The driver was able to escape without injury just before the truck was engulfed in flames.

Fire crews weren't able to use water to battle the blaze until hydro arrived to shut off the power.

Portage and Elm River firefighters were on the scene until around 5 a.m this morning.

The aftermath of the fire