Close call

A quick-thinking truck driver averted a calamity when his prime mover burst into flames on the New  England Highway last week.
At about 4am on Thursday, August 11, the 41-year-old male from Singleton was approaching Dalveen when he smelt smoke coming from the engine area of the prime mover. He was driving a B Double Combination carrying a load of general goods.
The driver managed to stop in the exit lane of the New England Highway at Dalveen and unhitched the trailers and then moved the Prime Mover about 100 metres away from the trailers. The prime mover then burst into flame.
Fire and ambulance officers from Stanthorpe attended the scene and the driver escaped without any injury. The prime mover, however, was completely destroyed by fire.
Police praised the actions of the driver, which prevented the trailers from being engulfed by the fire and possibly causing a fire to the surrounding areas.
Initial investigations reveal that an electrical fault is the cause of the fire in the engine bay compartment of the prime mover. The highway was not closed to traffic during the incident. The Department of Main Roads assisted with traffic control to ensure the safe salvage of the remains of the prime mover.