Firefighters try to put out a fire in straw on the back of
a truck in Airedale Rd, Weston, yesterday while two
tractors (rear) attempt to pull the vehicle off the road.
Photo by David Bruce.
A North Otago truck driver did not realise his load of
straw was on fire until a motorist following him signalled him
to pull over in Weston.
The Scott Simpson Contracting truck had a full load of
big-bale wheat straw on board when it caught fire just after
2pm, apparently ignited by a spark from the stack exhaust.
Weston man Peter Ferris stopped to let the truck turn into
Airedale Rd beside the Weston School, and noticed a "wee
fire" beside the exhaust.
"I followed the truck on the wrong side of the road, flashing
my lights trying to get him to stop," he said.
As the truck continued, the fire gradually spread along the
rest of the bales.
The truck finally halted about a kilometre up Airedale Rd,
where it intersects with Parklane Pl, when the fire in the
straw "exploded", he said.
The driver tried to turn around, apparently intending to head
back to the Weston Fire Station, but ended up partially
blocking Airedale Rd before he got out of the cab and the
fire brigade was called at 2.17pm.
Units from the Weston and Oamaru fire brigades, along with
the Weston tanker, attended the blaze.
Because the fire was embedded in the straw, all firefighters
could do was hose down the load until two tractors with hay
forks arrived and started to push the load off the truck.
An attempt was made to tow the truck using the two tractors
into a neighbouring paddock, away from under power lines, but
the truck's brakes had locked.
The straw was pushed from the truck about 3.15pm into a heap
on the side of the road and turned over so firefighters could
put out the fire.
The brigades returned from the fire about 4.40pm.
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