Head-on kills driver blast fear at Anakie smash site

Jessica Benton
Emergency services workers warned Anakie residents to stay in their homes after a fatal collision spilled a dangerous cocktail of fuel and fertiliser on Wednesday.
Police and CFA units rushed to the scene of the head-on collision that left a motorist dead.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the motorist’s vehicle collided with a B-double semi-trailer carrying fertiliser near the intersection of Pringles and Geelong-Ballan roads about 11am.
The police spokesperson said the 54-year-old Hamlyn Heights man, who was driving the car, died at the scene.
CFA crews battled a blaze after the truck caught fire, the spokesperson said.
The dangerous conditions forced the CFA members to create an exclusion zone around the accident scene.
The police spokesperson said the mixture of diesel, petrol and fertilizer was a threat to public safety.
Emergency services staff advised residents around the crash scene to stay indoors away from the smoke and fumes pouring from the wreckage, the spokesperson said.
CFA regional duty officer Ian Beswick said the mix of fuel and fertiliser had alarmed firefighters.
“That’s why we did the exclusion zone because there were fears there might have been an explosion,” he said.
“There’s not often an explosion in an open area like this one but it does give off dangerous gases when its burning.”
Mr Beswick said CFA crews took about an hour to bring the fire under control.
Four tankers, a pumper and two hazardous materials vehicles from Anakie, Corio, Lara and Maude attended the scene, he said.
Police closed the road to traffic while CFA members cleaned up the dangerous spill.
The driver of the truck escaped from the vehicle’s cabin before helping police with their investigation.
The police spokesperson said the accident blocked traffic between Staceys and Carrs roads “for a number of hours”.
Victoria Police’s Major Collision Investigation Unit was investigating the smash.
Police would prepare a report for the coroner, the spokesperson said