Households near the chemical truck fire that burnt in New Zealand on the morning of March 8 are being told to wash down the layer of canola oil that settled across properties as a result of the fire.
Mervyn Chetty, Auckland Council’s general manager for licensing and regulatory compliance, noted that many people had noticed an “oily residue” that settled on their property.
“Items like decks and outdoor furniture, roofs and the trampoline, pathways, and play equipment can all be given the soapy water treatment, or use sugar soap—do check the guidance on the product in relation to the item you’re washing down, first though.”
Any homegrown vegetables and other edibles should also be thrown away.
“While it might be difficult to discard edibles from the veggie patch, it is just not worth the risk to your health to consume anything that may have been splattered,” Chetty said.
About 15 households were evacuated from their homes in Auckland after a truck carrying chemicals burst into flames in what was described as explosions that sounded like “gunfire.”
Nobody was injured in the incident.
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Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) advised residents near the incident to stay indoors and keep windows and doors closed in the morning and enforced a 300-metre exclusion zone around the fire.
The Southern Motorway, where the truck caught on fire, was closed in both directions for about seven hours, bottlenecking traffic along alternate roads.
It is currently unknown what sparked the fire.
50 Metre High Explosions
Steven Shortt, a nearby resident, told the NZ Herald that several explosions woke him up at 3 a.m.“Some of the explosions were massive. Flying fire projectiles were getting thrown into our front lawn. Cars are covered in ash across the whole front. There were burning embers across our front lawn. It was pretty crazy,” he said.
“I’ve never in my life seen anything like that before. The whole upstairs of the house is hot against the windows. The explosions you could feel from across the road, the heat and the impact. It was like a war scene.”
As explosions continued, the rear carriage of the truck disintegrated in 10 minutes, with the rest of it gone about 20 minutes later, Shortt added.
“With chemicals, we evacuated. We grabbed the dogs and animals, went across the road, and watched the explosions and fires from a safer distance. Some of those explosions were well above power lines, 50-odd metres [high],” he said.
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service said the risk of exposure to smoke was low because of the short burn time but advised anyone affected by smoke to immediately visit their doctor or local hospital.
It also recommended that if the house smells of smoke, homeowners should open windows for fresh air, clean out all air filters and ventilation systems, and wipe down surfaces and outdoor furniture with a damp cloth.
National Road Carriers Association’s chief operating officer, James Smith, said all stages involved in the transportation of hazardous goods were under strict requirements.
“These incidents are incredibly rare. Road transport does hundreds of millions of kilometres a year ... you’re more likely to have an incident involving an electric car fire than one of these.
