A coal truck on its way up to the Denniston Plateau this morning burst into flames and was totally destroyed.
The Johnson Bros truck, under contract to the Bathurst Mine site, was heading up the Denniston Track shortly after 8.15am when a fire broke out in the cab, about 7km from Waimangaroa township.
Westport Volunteer Fire Brigade fire chief Alan Kennedy said two appliances from Westport were joined by the Waimangaroa volunteers.
Prior attempts by the driver of the burning truck and another truck driver in a vehicle nearby, proved futile and the truck was reduced to a "molten mess of aluminium" after its cab melted on to the road, Mr Kennedy said.
"Once we got there we just put the flames out... because it was totally destroyed."
