A truck carrying 38,000 litres of milk was well alight when CFA crews arrived on scene at a fire on the Princes highway near Mallacoota in far East Gippsland.
The fire, in the trailer of the B-double, started at around 6.40 this morning (Thursday) about 1km north of Genoa, and was brought under control at around 7.15. Firefighters used a dry chemical to suppress the fire.
Operations Officer Miles Malcolm said that a mechanical problem had caused the brakes to overheat which had then sparked a fire in the tyres and parts of the trailer. He said the cargo had not been damaged or spilt.
“There has been drizzling rain all morning so motorists need to take care because we’ve had people slowing down to take a look,” he said.
“The fire was called in to 000 by a member of the public as involving a petrol taker when in fact it was a milk truck.”
Orbost Fire Brigade were called in to support local crews as a precautionary measure.
“Their appliance carries foam so they were dispatched immediately just in case it was a fuel fire, which was not the case," said Mr Malcolm.
“We also have a cross-border arrangement with NSW and they sent a truck over from the closest brigade.”
Police were on scene to manage traffic and re-opened the highway at 7.40am.
Author: CFA Media