Truck burns down on Australia's Hume Highway
A B-double truck burned down on the Hume Highway near Yass in Australia. The driver was unharmed, while the southbound lanes of the highway connecting Sydney and Canberra were closed for road cleanup and the removal of the destroyed prime mover and trailers, ABC News Australia reports.
Possible mechanical fault
The fire broke out at about 7:00 p.m. on Monday in Manton, north of Yass. According to the Hume Police District, the truck was carrying compressed recycled cardboard and had a mechanical fault.
While inspecting the vehicle, the driver noticed a fire in the prime mover. He tried to extinguish the flames with an onboard fire extinguisher, but failed, and the fire spread to the entire road train.
A preliminary police examination indicates that the fire may have been caused by a mechanical fault; officers found no suspicious circumstances. Traffic was diverted via Yass Valley Way and the Barton Highway.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Series of fires on the highway
This is the tenth truck destroyed on a 150-kilometre section of the Hume Highway in just over two months. In late June near Breadalbane, southwest of Goulburn, a fire destroyed six semi-trailers after two trucks collided with a rest area.
No one was seriously injured at the time, despite several explosions caused by the vehicles' flammable contents. The 28-year-old driver of one of the trucks was later charged with negligent driving.
On July 17, near Breadalbane, a man died after his B-double collided with a road train carrying aerosols; both trucks were destroyed by fire. A week before the latest fire, a 34-year-old man suffered serious burns when his truck veered into scrub near Berrima and caused a fire.
