Fireball engulfs B-double

No chance: Firies work on the burnt-out shell of the exploded B-double petrol tanker after it rolled and burst into flames at the intersection of Old Bangalow Road and The Pacific Highway near Ballina.

Jacklyn Wagner

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Tanker explodes near Ballina

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GREG Smith could see the silhouette of a driver moving in the cabin of the burning tanker when it exploded with a mighty whump, shaking the earth and shooting flames more than 25 metres into the air, burning the eyebrows from Mr Smith’s face.

The driver never stood a chance.

Only moments earlier, Mr Smith had narrowly avoided being hit by the B-double as it careened south down Tintenbar Hill on the Pacific Highway toward Sandy Flat about 11.50am yesterday.

Mr Smith said he did a sharp U-turn to avoid the truck as it slid across the road before flipping into a ditch and unleashing a fireball so hot it melted the road.

He wasn’t the only one who had a narrow escape. Macadamia Castle owner Tony Gilding was heading north a short distance ahead of Mr Smith and said the truck lost control just after passing him and came close to the car behind him as it ricocheted off the guard rail.

Another car that stopped immediately after the crash ended up draped with live powerlines, which were knocked down in the crash.

The car’s occupants escaped unharmed.

Mr Smith had also stopped and was looking at the truck where he could see the silhouette of the driver moving in the cabin. At that point, the tanker was already ablaze, with flames shooting into the air.

Mr Smith picked up a big rock to smash the window and pull the driver out. He was only three metres away when one of the truck’s trailers, carrying diesel and unleaded fuel, exploded.

Firefighters worked hard to prevent as much fuel as possible from draining into a roadside ditch alongside neighbouring wetland and Emigrant Creek.