UPDATE, Tuesday 12.13pm: “It could have been a whole lot worse,” the CFA District 20 rostered duty officer said following a truck fire at Bears Lagoon yesterday.
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Bryan Suckling praised the efforts of both firefighters and the truck’s driver after a mechanical fault – believed to be a faulty wheel bearing – sparked a blaze that consumed the prime mover and its load.
Firefighters from Jarklin, Serpentine and Yarrawalla were on scene for three or four hours ensuring the fire was out.
Mr Suckling said the truck driver did the right thing by stopping as soon as he realised there was an issue.
The choice of the Bears Lagoon truck stop was particularly fortuitous for firefighters, as it was within proximity to a water source.
Map showing the approximate location of the truck stop
Mr Suckling said the prime mover was carrying a truckload of granular plastic pellets for plastic processing.
It was once the fire got into the plastic that Mr Suckling said it really took off.
He said the truck driver’s fire extinguisher was no match for the built-up heat.
One of the fire trucks responding to the blaze sustained damage as a result of the fire’s intensity.
Mr Suckling said none of the firefighters were injured, having parked the truck in such a way that it protected them from the heat.
Damage to the firefighting vehicle is still being assessed.
Mr Suckling said firefighters had to get machinery involved to help respond to the fire.
Assistance was sought from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to deal with a tree that needed to be felled.
The fire spread to vegetation in the immediate vicinity early in the firefight but was quickly contained to that area by firefighters, who were on scene within two minutes of receiving the call for help.
Mr Suckling said firefighters in District 20 were trying to make sure there were no fires in the landscape for the next five days, as sustained hot weather makes for perilous fire conditions.
He said there was a high fuel load within the district, and the fuel was all 100 per cent cured by recent extreme heat.
“This is the most critical time of the year for us, but we’re in the best position to deal with it,” Mr Suckling said.
UPDATE, 4.03pm: A TRUCK fire at Bears Lagoon has been brought under control.
A CFA spokesperson said crews from Jarklin and Serpentine were still on scene, trying to extinguish the flames.
They said Forest Fire Management Victoria has been requested to assist in relation to a number of trees in the area.
The CFA spokesperson said there was a lot of black smoke in the area.
There was no injury to the truck driver, they said.
EARLIER: FIREFIGHTERS are responding to a truck fire at Bears Lagoon, north of Bendigo.
A CFA spokesperson said the situation was contained, but the truck was well alight.
Crews are expected to be at the scene for some time.
Firefighters were called to a truck stop at Bears Lagoon, near the intersection of the Loddon Valley Highway and Borung-Prairie Road, about 2.45pm today.
The CFA spokesperson said the fire spread to nearby vegetation, but was being attended to.
A tanker from Jarklin was on scene in two minutes. A tanker from Serpentine is also responding.
The truck’s driver was out of the vehicle and was speaking with CFA members.
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