Fire crews are working to confirm the cause of a dramatic garbage truck fire last night on the M7 Motorway at Horsley Park, in Sydney's south-west.
The recycling compactor truck was travelling along the motorway, carrying a load of cardboard, just after 6.15 pm when it caught alight.
The blaze spread quickly in a westerly direction, igniting adjacent grassland. Driven by swirling winds, flames jumped an M7 on-ramp and across The Horsley Drive.
Fire Rescue Operation By FRNSW
An FRNSW Rescue crew was forced to cut through the steel body of the truck to access the seat of the fire.
Authorities were forced to block north-bound lanes of heavy traffic as the Rural Fire Service called in Fire and Rescue NSW crews to assist firefighting operations.
An FRNSW Rescue crew was forced to cut through the steel body of the truck to access the seat of the fire. The crew managed to extinguish the aggressive blaze after a series of explosions.
An FRNSW aerial platform was also brought in to attack the fire from above. A heavy recovery vehicle eventually moved the destroyed truck clear of the motorway. Firefighters suspect the fire broke out in the vehicle's engine compartment.
