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State Highway One north of Hamilton has reopened after a fiery collision between a fuel tanker and truck brought traffic to a standstill for nine hours.
Waikato road policing manager Leo Tooman said both lanes of the road between Hamilton and Ngaruawahia had been opened by 5pm today, though drivers faced a 30kmh limit.
He said the wreckage of the Shell tanker and Freightlines truck was removed about 2.30pm.
Emergency workers had earlier used foam to put out some of the 33,000 litres of burning fuel that escaped from the tanker.
Those battling the blaze faced temperatures of up to 1000 deg C. The fire completely gutted both trucks, which were burnt down to their skeleton framing.
The two drivers survived the crash and were taken to Waikato Hospital, one with minor and one with moderate to serious injuries.
A motorist helped the driver of the freight truck from the wreckage of his vehicle, police said.
Gavin Crook, who lives metres north of where the crash occurred, said he heard a loud bang, followed by the sound of cars slowing down.
"I came out and saw the explosion go, and a guy came along and said there was going to be a second one. It was like a bomb, and a big amount of smoke and flames were coming out. You could feel the ground shaking."
Hamilton chief fire officer Gary Talbot said it took about 20 minutes for the right resources to arrive, and it was a further 20 minutes before the blaze was brought under control.
"The biggest risk was radiated heat. The general attack had to be from a distance of 25 to 50m away."
Environmental damage would be limited because the run off toward the Waikato River had been contained early on.
The crash was on what was known as the 'Keith Hay Homes' corner, just north of the Te Rapa dairy factory at Horotiu.
Southbound traffic was diverted off SH1 at Horotiu, over the Horotiu Bridge on to River Rd.
Northbound traffic was diverted off SH1 south of the dairy factory on to Onion Rd and back on to SH1 at Ngaruawahia.
Mr McIntosh said many workers in Hamilton commuted between Hamilton and Auckland and may have to make have to find a new route home while SH1 was closed.
He said the closure was "a very long time for a state highway."
Diversions should handle the traffic but motorists should think about crossing the river and heading north on the other side instead of using SH1, he said.
Hamilton police senior sergeant Pete Devoy said initial indications were that the collision had been head on, with the Freightlines truck appearing to be northbound and the fuel tanker southbound.
The police Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit and Serious Crash Unit will investigate the cause of the crash.
- additional reporting NZPA
