Two Aratuna Freighters truck and trailer units were destroyed in an early morning fire in Greymouth yesterday.
The Greymouth and Cobden volunteer fire brigades were called at 4.45am, when staff discovered two trucks parked side-by-side well alight.
Greymouth fire chief Lee Swinburn said the truck cab units and trailers were burning fiercely and appeared to have been for some time.
Mr Swinburn said it appeared fire had broken out in one truck and spread to the adjoining vehicle. Both trucks and trailers were empty at the time.
The B trains were unscathed but both truck and their trailer units were extensively damaged.
"Both cabs have been totally burned out. The B trains have been saved."
The fire brigades spent about 90 minutes at the site near the wharf.
The cause of the fire was not immediately obvious.
"At this stage it's not looked at as suspicious but we want to eliminate that possibility," Mr Swinburn said.
"It appears they started in the cabs area. A staff member noticed but it had been going for some time when the brigade got there."
A third truck parked close by suffered minor damage.
A Fire and Emergency NZ investigator went to the site yesterday.
Aratuna Freighters managing director Andrew Havill said both vehicles were "toast" but fortunately no one had been hurt or caught in the fire.
One of the trucks had earlier in the morning been shifted outside into the yard and it appeared an electrical problem might have sparked the fire.
"No one was injured, that's the main thing."
Both vehicles were a write-off but it could have been "a whole lot worse" if the vehicles had not been parked in the open, Mr Havill said.
- by Brendon McMahon
