Papakura residents discovering oily residue on their properties after yesterday’s truck explosion on the Southern Motorway are being told it is most likely canola oil.
Oily plants and outdoor furniture could be washed with soapy water, but water collection tanks should be disconnected and vegetables from the garden thrown out.
A truck carrying canisters of flammable gas and other chemicals burst into flames on the Auckland motorway early yesterday morning, near Harbourside Drive.
People were evacuated from nearby homes, as explosions, smoke and debris burst from the vehicle, and chemicals spread across the road as well as into nearby properties.
Road workers repaired the road overnight and authorities were visiting affected homeowners to offer advice.
Auckland Council licensing and regulatory compliance general manager Mervyn Chetty told Morning Report they knew what some of the items on the truck were, but did not have a full list of what had been on board.
“I don’t have a full inventory of the chemicals, but I understand that most were flammable, including a lot of ethanol, thinners, methanol and turpentine, and most of these will have flashed off and burned off with the explosion.”
The Auckland Regional Public Health Service yesterday advised anyone affected by the smoke to contact their GP or visit the hospital if they were affected more seriously.
Chetty said anyone with a water collection tank in the area should disconnect it, and veges from the garden should be pulled up and thrown out.
“Some of the properties used grey water tanks for drinking ... rain water tanks should not be used for drinking water unless properly treated to prevent contaminants that may have fallen onto collection surfaces such as the roofs and gutterings.
“And if your vege garden has been splashed or exposed in any way it’s best to avoid eating the vegetables.”
Fire and Emergency and other agencies were investigating how the fire started and considering the items that were being transported.
Chetty said canisters thrown into the air by the explosions had landed in properties.
“The main issues raised by residents yesterday [were] oily spots, which cover their roofs, decking and trampolines. We visited the properties yesterday, and found that it’s most likely the residues from canola oil.
“Our officers, while visiting some of the properties yesterday, did find a few cans of canola oil - the aerosol type, so [our advice] is to gather all of that and dispose of it.
“We encourage the residents to check the guidance of the product you’re washing down.
“We recommend rewashing your laundry and washing the clothes line,” Chetty said if lines had been splashed.
Chetty said council officers were available for any residents who needed advice.
And residents considering seeking compensation for any damage could consider a claim through their own insurance company or “get in direct contact with the [trucking] company involved”.
National Road Carriers Association chief operating officer James Smith told Morning Report the transport of hazardous goods was heavily regulated.
“There’s strict requirements regarding all aspects of the supply chain of dangerous goods, whether it’s handling, loading, storage and transportation.
“There’s nothing to suggest at this stage that the cause of the fire had anything to do with the load it was carrying, so until all that investigation has taken place everything is speculative.”
Smith said hazardous goods were transported every day.
“These incidents are incredibly rare. Road transport does hundreds of millions of kilometres a year ... you’re more likely to have an incident involving an electric car fire, than one of these.
”Just about every consignment of freight contains some components of what you would call hazardous goods- cans of whipped cream are dangerous, in this case, cans of canola oil used for cooking spray are dangerous.
“That’s how they end up on supermarket shelves, they’ve got to get there by road transport.”