By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A TRUCK carrying hay in Nar Nar Goon last week was destroyed after a fire ripped through the $160,000 heavy vehicle.
The fire, which was believed to have started in the truck’s engine, took hold of the vehicle about 9am on Tuesday 13 January at the owner’s Eight Mile Road property.
Nar Nar Goon CFA Captian Geoff Bramley said five units from Nar Nar Goon, Pakenham, Bayles, Kooweerup and Tynong fought the blaze which was fully extinguished within 40 minutes.
“It went up in flames very very quickly and without much warning,” he said.
“Once it took hold, it spread very quickly … it was only a five-year-old truck. It was destroyed completely.
“It blew up a lot of black smoke which could be seen from the station as we left and it’s around six kilometres south of the town.”
The incident prompted the CFA to issue an official advice warning to residents in the area.
“Firefighters are responding to a large truck fire in the Nar Nar Goon area. The truck was loaded with hay and is putting up a large column of smoke,” the fire authority warned 30 minutes after the blaze broke out.
Mr Bramley said the owner, a man in his late 50s who was loading the hay onto the truck at the time, helped reduce the chance of further damage by quickly removing the load from the trailer attached.
“He did a great job removing the hay off the trailer which potentially avoided a lot of further damage and saved time.”
The incident struck on a day of mild weather which Mr Bramley described as a blessing.
“We were blessed with the weather this morning,” he said.
“It could have been a lot more serious if it occurred on a hot dry day with northerly winds.”
