SOUTHBOUND lanes on the Hume Freeway were closed for nine hours yesterday after a semi-trailer caught alight near Euroa.
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The driver noticed sparks coming out of right-hand side near the rear axle of the trailer and pulled over when he saw flames.
The trailer, which was carrying sand, cement and tiling equipment including glue, became engulfed in flames that took fire crews more than an hour to put out.
Luckily, the driver was able to un-hinge the trailer from the prime mover and move the two parts of the truck away from each other preventing thousands of dollars in damage.
CFA crews from Longwood were called to the scene near Seven Creeks about 12.30am and the hazardous material response unit from Sheparton was also called.
A 10-kilometre stretch of freeway was closed during the incident, diverting all traffic from the northern entry to Euroa through Euroa until 9am this morning.
Leading Sen-Constable Simon Hutchings said it took time to make the road safe for other road users.
“CFA re-attended in the morning to hose down the road for a couple of hours due to the mixture of chemicals on the surface to make sure the road was safe for other motorists,” he said.
The driver was not injured.
The cause is yet to be determined.