Truck carrying 'dangerous goods' catches fire in Putaruru, State Highway 1 closed all day

The truck fully ablaze. Photo / Supplied

State Highway 1 in Putaruru will be closed for the rest of the day after a truck and trailer carrying dangerous goods caught fire.

Fire crews from around the Lakes district were called to a "well-involved" truck fire about 2.10am opposite Z Petrol Station in the town centre, a Putaruru Volunteer Fire Brigade station officer said.

Three crews from Putaruru, a crew from Tirau, a hazmat control unit from Rotorua and a volunteer support officer from Turangi headed to the scene, he said.

The truck was carrying dangerous goods but the risk was quickly mitigated, he said.

The burnt out shell of the truck this morning. Photo / Supplied

The blaze caught on to nearby shrub, but no buildings were at any risk, he said.

It took two hours for the blaze to be contained with crews starting to leave about 7am.

UPDATE 1:15PM
This short section of #SH1 in Putararu remains closed. Expect minor delays until cleared with short detour in place: https://t.co/1dJ89YtyAc ^MF https://t.co/JosvcGeKkp

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Waikato/BoP (@WakaKotahiWaiBP) March 11, 2020

He said the road would be closed for the rest of the day for heavy machinery to salvage the truck.

The truck fully ablaze. Photo / Supplied

It was unknown what the cause of the fire was, he said.

A police spokeswoman said police were required to manage the road closure of a section of State Highway 1 and put traffic management in place.