A B double prime mover was destroyed in a spectacular fire which closed the Newell Highway, 13 kilometres north of Narrabri for two hours on Friday afternoon.
Quick action by the driver of the Gympie-based truck, who decoupled his prime mover after pulling off to the side of the road, averted longer delays and saved the trailer loads of cotton seed hulls. The driver was treated at the scene by Narrabri Fire and Rescue for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters from NSW Fire and Rescue, and the Rural Fire Service were joined by police and ambulance.
“The truck was carrying about 3000 litres of diesel,” said Narrabri Fire and Rescue station commander Shane Bradford, whose crew was the first responder and parked a fire truck across the highway to halt traffic. “It was a difficult fire, we played hoses on the tanks, but even an hour after the flames died down we measured the temperature of the remaining diesel at nearly 100 degrees Celsius.”