Get to Know the Toyota Tundra That Lived Through Fires
Everyone loves a Toyota Tundra. Well, some of us love the Tundra more than others. Have you heard the story of Allyn Pierce and his Toyota Tundra? Maybe you did but didn’t know him by name.
Allyn is a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at a local California hospital. His Tundra truck helped save lives during the 2018 California Camp Fire.
A Toyota Tundra saves the day
The Drive notes that the Camp Fire burned “153,000 acres and approximately 19,000 structures, and claiming 85 human lives.” It was the most destructive wildfire in California’s history.
It burned for 17 days and destroyed much of the town of Paradise. The fire moved rapidly, and many people trying to escape perished in cars on the road.
On a lighter note, Allyn called his Tundra the Pandra. Allyn was working at the hospital where a temporary emergency area had been set up. Patients were set up here for faster treatment, but the fire moved so quickly that the emergency triage area had to be relocated.
Allyn used his Tundra to transport patients and co-workers back and forth. At one point, the truck was stuck in gridlock traffic as the fire blazed nearby, which is where the burns came from. A bulldozer cleared the path, and he continued driving.
He shared this story on social media and Toyota took notice.
Toyota coming through
But it wasn’t all good news. The hospital Allyn worked at was badly damaged, and he lost his house in the fire. Much like a lot of others in the area.
In the end, the Toyota Tundra saved the day.
Here’s my @toyotausa commercial. This truck literally saved my life today. My little town of Paradise was literally burning down around me and @the_pandra got me to safety where I could help others…twice. #campfire#perfectmarshmellow#meltedplastics#buttecountyfire#sema2019 thanks to the fire fighters, law enforcement and my fellow healthcare workers for the work we all did getting the hospital evacuated and our patients to safety. 🤘🏼😔
Allyn Pierce | Instagram
On his original truck, the fire burned the outside, and the lights melted. The wheel wells were destroyed. Toyota replaced the damaged Tundra with a fully upgraded Tundra TRD Pro.
That is quite a well-deserved reward for helping save lives in an extreme situation.
New and improved
Allyn decided to upgrade his new Tundra TRD Pro to look like the Pandra. He named this one the Pandra Pro and took it to Rockstar Garage for upgrades.
The shop flew in a specialist to paint “burn marks” on the truck to mimic the original truck’s damage. In addition, he added larger tires, a roof rack, and some lighting upgrades.
Toyota even asked to take the original truck to display in a museum. If that isn’t a good endorsement for Toyota trucks, we don’t know what is. Allyn is still out in California driving his Tundra around. You can follow his adventures with the Pandra Pro @the_pandra on Instagram.
