Lithium battery fire on truck shuts down Hume Highway in NSW due to health risk | New South Wales
A truck carrying 15 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries caught fire, blocking traffic on a major New South Wales highway; The outages are expected to last for days.
Fire and Rescue NSW said the two-haul truck was carrying approximately 50 batteries weighing 300kg each in trailer B.
The fire was heading south on the Hume Highway near Yass, north of Canberra, when it started just after 9am on Saturday.
Investigator Michael Jay said crews removed the front cab of the truck and its second, smaller trailer from the scene before it caught fire.
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Fire crews cut off public access for 700 meters around the fire due to the risk of a steam cloud, leaving the main highway closed in both directions for the next six hours.
Lithium-ion fires can release a variety of toxic gases and vapors that pose a danger to people, including firefighters responding to the blaze, a government inquiry into the incident heard on Monday.
Traffic was diverted to reverse flow lanes via Yass. Fire and Rescue warned that disruption was likely to last for several days and advised travelers to postpone plans to travel through the area.
Jay said firefighters will probably put out the fire because there isn’t enough water to put it out. He also said it would be difficult to capture any contaminated runoff flowing into nearby waterways.
No confirmed injuries were reported. NSW Police said the fire is not being treated as suspicious.
Exploding batteries have caused three fatal incidents and numerous fires in NSW. Lithium-ion batteries are used in e-bikes, e-scooters and various electrical appliances.
Overheating and physical damage are among the main causes of battery failure.
Fire and Rescue NSW has referred to lithium-ion batteries as the state’s “fastest growing fire risk” since 2024, and the government is taking increasing action to regulate their use and disposal.
