A chemical truck caught on fire on Auckland's Southern Motorway early this morning, forcing the evacuation of nearby properties.
Emergency services were called to the scene on the northbound shoulder of the Southern Motorway, just past the Papakura on-ramp, just before 3am, a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson told 1News.
Local resident Raewyn McKenzie told Breakfast she was woken up about 3am "to the most loud bangs".
"I woke my husband up and said, ‘What's going on? What's going on?'
"We thought it sounded like a really loud concert so we went out onto our terrace and we saw everything just exploding and just firebombs and just the loudest noises. It was just crazy."
“It was a good day for us that no one was hurt,” Counties Manukau Assistant District Commander Phil Larcombe said. (Source: 1News)
A police spokesperson said the truck had been "carrying highly flammable gas in canisters and these have exploded over all of the northbound lanes and into the bush on the side of the road".
Counties Manukau Assistant District Commander Phil Larcombe told 1News the driver of the truck pulled over to the side of the road after noticing an issue with the load.
Fire services were called to the scene soon afterwards, and the fire was "upgraded very quickly to a third alarm" after fire trucks en route to the scene "noticed a rather large plume of smoke and flame from the motorway".
Ten fire trucks were called to the scene, which he called "very chaotic".
"There were a lot of exploding canisters as such coming from the appliance, from the truck, and landing on the grass and all over the motorway," Larcombe said.
He said firefighters responding to the incident had "a fair idea of what was in the truck, and that was how we sort of based our tactics, knowing what was there and our choices to control the fire over the coming hours".
Larcombe said he was relieved no one was injured in the incident.
"At 3 o'clock in the morning, obviously, the motorway is a little bit quieter than it is at 3 o'clock in the afternoon… It was a good day for us that no one was hurt."
Mainfreight managing director Don Braid confirmed to 1News the vehicle was a Chemcouriers truck carrying aerosol cans of paint from Rotorua to Auckland.
He said the driver had attempted to "decouple the trailer" but was unable to do so due to the force of the fire.
"He’s fine but shaken," he said.
An investigation is now underway to determine how the fire started, but Mainfreight believes it was likely caused by a mechanical or electrical issue with the truck or trailer.
Braid said the maintenance was "up to date", had passed all inspections and met the transport code for moving dangerous goods.
He added that the products were loaded properly in Rotorua.
Chemcouriers, which is owned by Mainfreight, has been moving the goods without issues for years, he said.
Mainfreight has since contracted a chemical waste company to visit neighbouring properties.
Braid issued an apology for the disruption to motorists and evacuated residents this morning.
State Highway 1 was closed between Papakura and Takanini in both directions, but has since reopened, Waka Kotahi said on Twitter.
The Papakura northbound loop on-ramp has also reopened, but the Papakura northbound diamond on-ramp remains closed and delays are expected.
"Please use caution when passing through the Papakura interchange as there is some minor damage to the road," police said.
It comes amid complaints from motorists stuck in heavy traffic, including one woman who told Breakfast her 25-minute journey instead took four hours.
Around 30 people in 15 homes nearby were evacuated as a precaution, police said.
The fire has since been extinguished.
There are no reports of injuries.
SH1 is closed between Papakura and Takanini in both directions. (Source: Breakfast)
"There is a significant amount of debris to clean up off the road and the fire is still burning out," police said.
FENZ had been advising residents in parts of South Auckland, near Karaka, to "stay indoors and keep their windows and doors closed this morning".
Diversions are in place but significant delays are expected.
Motorists have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel.
SHARE ME