Truck fire closes Sydney’s M5 westbound for afternoon peak

Significant delays remain after a garbage truck fire closed a major Sydney motorway ahead of the Friday afternoon peak, causing traffic to queue back for kilometres.

The fire broke out on the truck which was travelling on the M5 motorway at Milperra in Sydney’s south-west just before 4pm.

One westbound lane reopened about 6pm but, just before 8pm, two more remained closed.

A NSW Police spokesperson said a garbage truck fire was behind the motorway closure. Officers were on the scene directing traffic.

The truck was fully alight when crews arrived, Fire and Rescue NSW acting Superintendent Peter Murray said.

“The driver’s tried to dump the load onto the road, but hasn’t been able to get all of it out and then unfortunately the whole truck is now involved in fire,” he said.

Eight trucks and 25 firefighters were on the scene.

“They’re working to extinguish the fire and contain the runoff of water … given the potential for contamination,” Murray said.

The driver escaped uninjured.

Heavy traffic trailed back past Roselands, about 10 kilometres from the fire during the afternoon peak. Live Traffic NSW said that commuters could “expect significant delays”.

By 7pm, queues had shortened to about six kilometres from the fire, with delays of about an hour after the one westbound lane reopened.

A long trail of headlights extended for kilometres after the sun went down. Commuters were advised to seek an alternative route.

Emergency services remain on site as the clean-up operation continues.

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