There is traffic bedlam on the New England Highway north of Muswellbrook this morning, following an earlier truck fire.
A b-double caught alight near Burtons Lane around 4:10am, with crews managing to extinguish the blaze at about 7am.
Motorists are currently able to pass in one direction at a time, with stop slow signs in operation.
A tow truck is on scene, but Dave Wright from the Transport Management Centre says it is expected cleanup efforts may take a while yet.
"During truck fires, we get things like bitumen melting, and when bitumen melts it becomes unsafe for drivers and motorbike riders so often we have to re-pave the area it's burnt, it could be a diesel spill," he explained, "there often is a lot of elements to a truck fire over just extinguishing it and opening everything up."
- Jessica Rouse, Journalist 2NM AM 98.1The New England Highway is one lane only for a few hours while crews clear away the wreckage of a b-double. NSW Fire and Rescue and NSW RFS were called to the highway near Burtons Lane at Muswellbrook after the trucks breaks locked causing it to catch a light at around 4am. #2nm pic.twitter.com/bGuXTQQ572— Jessica Rouse (@JessRouse95) October 31, 2018
