Durban - Clean-up operations are under way, on Monday, on the N3 Toll route at Van Reenen’s Pass where five trucks had caught alight on Sunday.
The fire on Van Reenen’s Pass was expected to cause extensive delays on Monday as authorities and other role-players remove the truck from the busy freeway.
This, after fire- and emergency services worked throughout the night to bring the fire under control.
It has now been extinguished, but mop-up and recovery operations are expected to continue for most of the day.
The N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), the company managing the N3 Toll Route between Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal and Heidelberg in Gauteng stated that a dual fuel tanker with trailer, carrying both petrol and diesel, caught fire due to a mechanical failure. The truck was parked on the N3 Toll Route in a lay-by near the Pyramid Motel on Sunday.
Fuel leaked from the burning trailer across the road and also caught alight, setting another four trucks stacked at the scene on fire.
The drivers escaped unharmed.
Northbound lanes remain closed with contraflow traffic in the southbound lanes (left lane accommodating traffic towards KwaZulu-Natal and right lane being used for traffic towards Gauteng).
The truck was parked on the N3 Toll Route in a lay-by near the Pyramid Motel on Sunday. Video supplied
An extensive backlog of southbound traffic is also being experienced at Tugela Toll Plaza near Ladysmith. Road users are warned to either delay their trips or to avoid the area if at all possible.
N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), the company managing the N3 Toll Route between Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal and Heidelberg in Gauteng, appeals to road users to give their full cooperation to the Traffic Inspectorate and emergency services while the situation is being brought under control.
Clean-up operations are underway, on Monday, on the N3 Toll route at Van Reenen’s Pass where five trucks had caught alight. Picture supplied