Rockhampton, 21, man killed in horror Bruce Highway explosion

Bororen homes more than a kilometre from the Bruce Highway explosion have been left with smashed glass, doors blown off hinges and damage to their roofs, while it has been revealed a Rockhampton man was killed in the horror crash.

Truck crash and subsequent explosion on the Bruce Highway at Bororen in the vicinity of Atkinson Road, the Bruce Highway remains closed between Bororen township and Tannum Sands Road intersection.

A part of the Bororen and Miriam Vale community are feeling neglected and forgotten in the aftermath of Friday’s fatal crash on the Bruce Hwy which has left a crater on the edge of the road.

The highway closed for the third time in a week after a truck carrying ammonium nitrate collided with a ute on Friday morning about 5am, spilt its load which then caught on fire and later caused a second tank of ammonium nitrate to explode.

The man killed in the Bruce Highway crash on Friday was a 21-year-old man from Koongal in Rockhampton.

One of the residents from Daisy Dell Rd, which is right near the crash site, who managed to get to Bororen afterwards, talked with this publication Sunday morning.

Truck crash and subsequent explosion on the Bruce Highway at Bororen in the vicinity of Atkinson Road.

Rachel Humphries who works at the Bororen Hotel Motel said she and others who live on Daisy Dell Rd feel neglected because “no one has actually said there’s any damage to any properties or anything like that”.

She said her neighbour’s “cyclone grade sheds twisted and buckled” and his windows smashed.

Daisy Dell Rd, Bororen, residents returned home to find smashed glass, doors blown off hinges, roller doors bent, damage to their roofs and debris from the truck and ute in their yards after they were evacuated on Friday.

Mrs Humphries said the blast had lifted her own roof and bits and pieces of shrapnel injured another neighbour’s cattle.

She said other residents had lost glass in windows and doors, cracks in ceilings and damage to internal doors.

“No police, no firies, no one has come and knocked on our door to make sure everyone is okay,” she said.

This publication heard reports that other residents did have contact with emergency services after the explosion.

Mrs Humphries said her husband, Brandon, is home with their son picking up the rubble from the explosion.

Debris is everywhere.

“My son was picking up like truck parts from the neighbour’s property,” she said.

“They’ve actually seen the seat and everything from the truck and there’s still fires going on down there.”

Mrs Humphries said the residents had picked up bits of blown up truck and tools, including a crowbar found a kilometre from the explosion site.

Daisy Dell Road, Bororen, residents returned home to find smashed glass, doors blown off hinges, roller doors bent, damage to their roofs and debris from the truck and ute in their yards after they were evacuated on Friday.

She said on the morning of the incident, the sounds of the crash woke up her and her family.

“There was actually no screeching tyres, no nothing,” Mrs Humphries said.

“All there was was a bang.

“Then we heard screaming …. We ran down straight away.

“You couldn’t see anything, it was so thick with fog.

“There was a fire; there was people everywhere.”

She said they warned nearby truck drivers and motorists that the truck was carrying ammonium nitrate and police pushed everyone back before people were evacuated.

Mrs Humphries said once they had received the evacuation notification, they contacted others in the area who don’t have mobile phones to make sure they knew of the evacuation order.

“We were told to pack two-days worth of clothes. Get out. Leave the animals, leave everything,

“So all our dogs and animals were left without food for the day.”

She said they have had to hose off their roof and disconnect their water tanks due to contamination issues from the ammonium nitrate fire.

Gladstone Region Mayor Matt Burnett. Picture: Contributed

Gladstone Region Mayor Matt Burnett told the Morning Bulletin this afternoon that Gladstone council’s four recovery committees will be meeting tomorrow to discuss what needs to be done in the aftermath of this event for the Bororen and Miriam Vale communities.

Mr Burnett said he, as the chair of the local disaster management group, will be travelling to those communities personally after those meetings with QPS Gladstone’s Senior Sargent Darren Somerville.

“I want to see first-hand what’s happened,” he said.

“But I’ve also wanted to stay out of the way and couldn’t get in while there was restricted zoning.”

Mr Burnett said he wants to meet with and talk with residents of the Daisy Dell area because he had heard reports of damage to property.

Originally published as Rockhampton, 21, man killed in horror Bruce Highway explosion