After fours hours of firefighting, M1 fuel tanker blaze extinguished
The M1 at West Wollongong has reopened to northbound traffic, after fire in a fuel tanker created a four-hour fireball on the busy motorway this morning.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The M1 at West Wollongong has reopened to northbound traffic, after fire in a fuel tanker created a four-hour fireball on the busy motorway this morning.
After four hours of frantic firefighting, the fireball which broke out just before 9am was extinguished by emergency crews about 1pm.
The clean-up has continued all afternoon and just before 4pm the road was reopened to northbound traffic, with diversions still in place for southbound travellers.
The partial reopening of the motorway will provide relief to both locals and South Coast holiday travellers, who endured lengthy delays as the area was shut for much of the day.
MORE NEWS:
Recluse beaten before body set alight in bush grave
Building certifiers pushed to skip on-site inspections
Kiwis back pill testing as debate rages in Australia
Earlier today, home were evacuated and traffic was plunged into chaos when the fuel tanker carrying thousands of litres of petrol burst into flames on the side of the M1, sending billowing smoke across West Wollongong, this morning.
The full-laden fuel tanker, carrying 36,000 litres of fuel, was heading south and had pulled over on the side of the M1 Princes Motorway, near the Figtree on-ramp, when it burst into flames just before 9am.
More than 80 firefighters are on the scene spraying the flaming vehicle with foam and water in a bid to stop the fuel tanks exploding.
The 44-year-old male driver, the only occupant of the truck, escaped unharmed.
Sixteen residents who live nearby have been evacuated as a precaution.
At 11am Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Norm Buckley said crews were still working hard to extinguish the blaze.
“It’s a very dynamic fire — 80 firefighters are using a lot of foam and a lot of water onto those tanks to make sure it doesn’t breach,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“We did have four homes evacuated with around 16 people and that was only a precaution, the fire has not impacted on those homes but we have an exclusion zone.
“We’ve got booms across drains and are working with the EPA.”
Crews focused on prevented the fire reaching trees and bushland, with hot temperatures — forecast to reach mid-30C around Sydney and 45C — making the task more difficult.
Traffic was been stopped on the M1 motorway in both directions.
Mr Buckley urged motorists to seek alternative routes, saying Fire and Rescue NSW trucks had difficulty accessing the scene due to heavy traffic.
“Avoid the area, there’s significant delays,” he said.
Images posted on social media show massive flames erupting from the tanker.
One of the evacuated residents, Marty Parcon, said he heard two loud explosions at his McAndrew Cres home just before 9am and he rushed outside.
“I live directly on the opposite of the concrete barrier to the freeway,” he said.
“We were inside and I heard two explosions and looked out the windows — it was just a huge tower of smoke and flames … the truck was in a massive fireball.”
The 40-year-old said emergency crews had difficulty accessing the burning truck because of heavy traffic on the motorway.
Soon after they did, police knocked on his door and told him to get out.
“We could hear firefighters. It took a few minutes for firefighters to get there because all the traffic had stopped,” he said. “Fifteen minutes later police came and told us we had to evacuate.
“The truck’s fuel was alight. I spoke to one of the cops and he said each cell of the fuel was being ignited.”
Mr Parcon said the fire was extinguished about 1pm.
Fire and Rescue NSW’s Norm Buckley said crews needed to empty the truck’s tanks.
He said the fuel that burnt was from the truck itself as opposed to the fuel being carried in the tanks.
The Transport Management Centre has warned the M1 will remain closed for “several” hours.
Drivers caught on the motorway are experiencing lengthy delays after being diverted onto local roads.
Heavy vehicles can use these diversions but should consider using the Hume Motorway instead, the TMC said.
The TMC said the M1 would be closed until at least the evening peak hour, affecting thousands of commuters and holiday-makers travelling between Sydney and Wollongong.
“This will be a protracted incident, so the motorway will remain closed until this evening at the earliest,” the authority warned.
A fuel tanker has burst into flames on the Princes Highway, West Wollongong. #9News pic.twitter.com/Z2bcihhHyK
— 9 News Illawarra (@9NewsIllawarra) January 3, 2019
WOLLONGONG | #FRNSW crews are fighting a tanker fire on the M1, foam is being applied for extinguishment and hazmat crews are booming drains, operations are ongoing.
— Fire and Rescue NSW (@FRNSW) January 3, 2019
#Wollongong #FuelTanker pic.twitter.com/glkKhIHzLX
— Dr Tam Stutchbury (@tamstutch) January 3, 2019
Originally published as After fours hours of firefighting, M1 fuel tanker blaze extinguished
Vapes, weed, grog: Social media has a lot to answer for
Illegal and banned substances are become more and more common thanks to an alarming social media trend.
King Charles set to attend Everest at Royal Randwick
King Charles could put the royal back into Royal Randwick. With no official engagement planned on Everest Day, the door is open for him to attend the race meeting.