Wollongong fuel tanker fire closes Princes Motorway for entire day

It took 100 firefighters hours to bring a roadside inferno under control after a fuel tanker burst into flames on the side of a motorway near Wollongong.

The truck was carrying 36,000 litres of fuel along the M1 Princes Motorway west of Wollongong when it caught fire before 9am on Friday.

“We’re investigating the matter at the moment but it is unlikely anything the driver has done has caused this fire.”

Hazmat crews were expected to remain on the scene to help decant the remaining fuel from the vehicle and keep it from flowing into drains.

The M1’s northbound lanes were expected to reopen on Friday afternoon but the southbound lanes would remain closed as emergency services work to clear the road.

Images posted on social media show massive flames erupting from the tanker parked on the side of the road.

Read More at : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/jan/04/wollongong-fuel-tanker-fire-princes-highway

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