Newspaper Article 2009 – Forest blaze fears averted

Forest blaze fears averted

Roger Moroney
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Rural fire crews and foresters were left shaking their heads at what might have been had a truck crash on Taihape Rd yesterday happened a month ago.

“We would have had a major forest fire on our hands,” said Hastings District Council emergency management officer Rene Londeman as clean-up crews headed to the area to lift out the fire-gutted truck.

“Fortunately we had two days of rain and cooler weather so the fire was only slowly spreading when we got there.”

The incident began about 2.15pm when emergency services were called after a bitumen truck, operated by Downer EDI Works in Napier, left a stretch of unsealed road near Otamauri on the Napier-Taihape Rd.

The 20-tonne truck was carrying about 8 tonnes of 150C hot mix.

The driver, despite receiving head injuries which included a suspected broken jaw, managed to clamber free and raise the alarm.

Mr Londeman said two cranes were sent to the scene to lift the truck out, while the Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter was dispatched to pick up the driver.

While enroute it was diverted to a second incident in the same area where a truckie had fallen from a trailer and broken his hip.

As the driver of the bitumen truck was being taken to Hawke’s Bay Hospital by road ambulance, representatives of the company decided to stay with the truck overnight, planning to lift it out today.

At that stage, apart from some steam from the cooling bitumen, there appeared to be no risk, Mr Londeman said.

But two hours later the truck suddenly burst into flames and rural fire crews from Waiwhare and Matapiro, as well as two trucks from Hastings, raced to the scene. Three water tankers were also sent to the isolated area.

Mr Londeman said the 30 to 40 minutes it took to get to the area, which had poor cellphone and radio coverage, meant it would have been a disaster had the incident occurred at the height of the dry season.

A 50-tonne crane went to the scene this morning to drag the truck out. The company had been carrying out sealing work in the area.

Photo caption – GUTTED: Firefighters dampen down the gutted truck and surrounding forest floor after yesterday’s crash.
PICTURE / DUNCAN BROWN HBT091613-07