The fire as it took hold of the cabin. Photo: Greg Wardle
DAMAGE in excess of a quarter of a million dollars was caused when fire erupted in a semi trailer on the Range Road near Portland on Tuesday morning.
The rig was hauling a load of fly ash from the Mt Piper power station when the driver noticed smoke issuing from the engine bay.
Within minutes of him pulling up the prime mover erupted in flames which quickly spread through the cabin.
Firefighters from the Rural Fire Service at Wallerawang and Marrangaroo and police from Wallerawang responded to a Triple 0 call around 8.15.
It took around 15 minutes to bring the fire under control but the prime mover was left a charred wreck.
The firefighters were able to prevent the fire spreading to the tanker trailer.
The driver was uninjured in the drama but Range Road was closed to traffic for about an hour.