Terrifying moment a truck carrying 220 cattle along an Outback highway suddenly bursts into flames – sending plumes of thick smoke into the air
- Lucky escape for driver and 220 cattle from triple road train engulfed in flames
- Happened on the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory outback on Friday
- Dash cam footage from passing motorist captured fire ripping through vehicle
- Driver and cattle were uninjured but the truck and lead trailer were destroyed
Terrifying dash cam footage has captured a truck that was carrying several hundred cattle engulfed in flames in the Australian outback.
A truck driver and 220 cattle had a lucky escape when the triple road train erupted into flames on the Stuart Highway halfway between Alice Springs and Darwin late Friday afternoon.
The driver, 43, was transporting three trailer loads of cattle when he saw a piece of rubber fly from the right rear side, followed by flames and smoke from the left rear when he was 80km south of the town of Elliott.
The triple road train carrying 220 cattle burst into flames on the Stuart Highway on Friday
The driver told police he planned to stop at a small clearing just ahead when the raging inferno ripped through the truck airlines.
The fire caused the trailer brakes to lock and brought the flaming truck to an abrupt halt on the middle of the highway.
The lead trailer filled with cattle had already caught alight.
A passing motorist and another truck driver helped the driver release cattle onto the from the road and tow the two other trailers away from the burning vehicle and lead trailer.
A passing motorist captured the inferno engulfing the truck and trailer on his dash cam
The first trailer attached to the truck caught on fire while cattle were still inside.
Two passing water tankers also stopped to help extinguish the blaze, which destroyed the truck and trailer.
A motorist has shared dash cam of passing the burning truck not long after the incident, which shows plumes of smoke still billowing from the truck and first trailer.
The footage has since attracted more than 64,000 views and more than 500 Facebook shares.
Police photos showed the gutted truck and cattle trailer after Friday’s frightening ordeal
‘Driver safe cows safe .. truck and lead trailer not so much,’ the motorist posted.
One friend commented: ‘Good job on getting the stock out, no easy feat on your own, roadside, while on fire.’
The driver and the cattle were uninjured but’s it’s understood some cows were unable to be rounded up and escaped.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.