Bus passengers witness shocking fire that destroyed truck near Timaru

The truck was engulfed in flames as it drove past the bus.

Passengers on a bus watched in horror as a truck drove past engulfed in flames.

The truck's trailers, loaded with milk powder, caught fire shortly after 7.30am on State Highway 1 in Makikihi, about 30km south of Timaru.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said the truck driver managed to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road while it was on fire.

"When he realised it was on fire, he drove it to an area where it was clear of the road so there were no closures," he said.

Video footage caught by a passing bus passenger shows both trailer units engulfed in flames and burnt down to their frames.

At least 16 firefighters battled the blaze, which took almost two hours to extinguish.

"It took a while to get it out and we had to use a lot of water tankers due to the lack of water in the area," the spokesman said.