A TRUCK ignited on the M1 Pacific Motorway overnight, with the inferno closing the road for almost 12 hours.
Shortly before 8pm Monday emergency services were called to the motorway approaching Sparks Road to reports of a fire in the northbound lanes.
Several NSW Fire and Rescue brigades, police and paramedics, as well as the Rural Fire Service, raced to the scene near the Ampol Service Centre.
"On approach our crews were able to confirm it was a large truck fire and called for additional resources including bulk water support to assist," a statement from Tuggerah Rural Fire Brigade said .
There were fears for the truck driver, but crews were able to find the driver who had taken steps to move the prime mover away from the fire before it had spread to both b-double trailers.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus immediately got to work deploying multiple attack lines to work at extinguishing the fire," the Tuggerah unit report said.
"As materials inside the trailer began to shift during the fire, a small area of bush adjacent to the motorway caught alight and it too was contained before further spread."
It took several hours for the fire to be extinguished, with two of three northbound lanes reopening to traffic at 7am Tuesday.
The wreckage now has to cool down enough for salvage operations to begin.
"It was an amazing multiagency emergency response demonstrating the professionalism, training, dedication and abilities of our fire and emergency services," the Tuggerah unit said.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the blaze..
