A quick-thinking service technician jumped into a burning van to move it away from a 91原创 townhouse Tuesday morning.

The diesel-engined van caught fire shortly after a two-man crew arrived to clean out ducts at a residence near 50 Avenue and 203 Street around 10 a.m.

When smoke started billowing from the bottom of the panel van, one man jumped in and backed the vehicle out of the driveway to protect the house, then jumped out.

At its height, the blaze sent a column of dark smoke seven stories high over the neighborhood.

The heat from the blaze melted some of vinyl siding on the townhouse, but did not cause any serious damage.

No one was injured.

Fire fighters hosed down the van, then cut holes in the side with an axe to pour water over the smoldering wreckage.

One firefighter stripped the damaged siding from the house to make sure there nothing was burning.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.