The Hume Highway's southbound lanes have reopened following a truck fire on Monday, September 7.
Emergency services were called to the blaze at Manton, north of Yass, following reports of a heavy vehicle on fire.
Police were told a B-double carrying compressed recycled cardboard experienced a mechanical issue before the driver stopped on the highway shoulder. While inspecting the vehicle, the driver noticed a fire within the prime mover.
The blaze spread throughout the vehicle, after the driver tried unsuccessfully to douse the outbreak with an onboard fire extinguisher.
The driver escaped safely and was assessed at the scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters from the NSW Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW worked to contain the blaze. Heavy machinery was required to separate the compressed cardboard to allow extinguishment.
The vehicle and trailers were destroyed. The Hume Highway's southbound lanes were closed while emergency services responded, with traffic diverted via Yass Valley Way and the Barton Highway.
Police said inquiries indicated the fire was caused by a mechanical failure. There are no suspicious circumstances.
RFS Southern Tablelands acting district manager Jock Corcoran said the truck was also carrying plastics that emitted toxins. Firefighters donned breathing apparatus as a result.
Six RFS brigades responded, including a 9000 litre bulk water tanker from Murrumbateman. NSW Fire and Rescue had two units and a logistics van onsite.
RFS crews left the scene at 3.10am Tuesday, September 8 but returned hours later when vehicle salvage was underway.
The incident follows a string of truck fires on the Hume Highway. Six trucks were destroyed in the highway's northbound lane at Breadalbane, at the Windmills Rest Area on June 30.
On July 17, a B-double and a road train were destroyed 5km north in the Hume Highway's northbound lane at Breadalbane. The road train driver died at the scene.
On July 21, a driver escaped uninjured after his truck's trailer caught fire in the highway's northbound lane, about 7km north of Oolong Road. He managed to decouple the trailer, laden with kitty litter, before the blaze spread.
Both crashes closed the busy thoroughfare
On August 13, a truck was destroyed on the highway's northbound lane at Bargo when the vehicle's fuel tank ruptured.
Mr Corcoran said more RFS brigades had been equipped with breathing apparatus given the increased number of truck fires and toxic smoke emitted from them.
