Peak-hour traffic chaos as a tanker filled with ethanol crashes into a truck and explodes on a major highway

  • M1 Pacific Motorway at Cooranbong remains closed in both directions after a collision between two trucks
  • Fire crews battled a huge blaze which broke out after the crash near Lake Macquarie on NSW north coast
  • Emergency services were called to southbound lanes at 12.50pm after fuel tanker carrying ethanol smashed
  • A car was also damaged as fire spread to bushland shortly after crash but no threat to property or people

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The M1 Pacific Motorway at Cooranbong remains closed in both directions after a collision between two trucks which sparked a massive fire.

Fire crews battled a huge blaze which broke out after the crash about 1km south of the Freemans Drive interchange near Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. 

Emergency services were called to the southbound lanes of the M1 about 12.50pm after the two trucks, one a fuel tanker carrying ethanol, collided and one caught fire.

A car was also damaged, and motorists are being warned to avoid the area.

One person remains unaccounted for, as the crews remain cautious with embers still burning in the wreckage. 

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Fire crews battled a huge blaze (pictured) which broke out after the crash about 1km south of the Freemans Drive interchange near Lake Macquarie, New South Wales

Fire crews battled a huge blaze (pictured) which broke out after the crash about 1km south of the Freemans Drive interchange near Lake Macquarie, New South Wales

A collision between two trucks - one a fuel tanker - sparked a massive fire on the M1 which soon spread to bushland
A collision between two trucks - one a fuel tanker - sparked a massive fire on the M1 which soon spread to bushland

A collision between two trucks - one a fuel tanker - sparked a massive fire on the M1 which soon spread to bushland

The M1 remains closed in both directions following a truck crash and fire in the Lake Macquarie region this afternoon

The M1 remains closed in both directions following a truck crash and fire in the Lake Macquarie region this afternoon

The fire soon spread to bushland north of the crash site, and New South Wales Rural Fire Service was fighting the bushfire with the assistance of a water helicopter.

Southbound traffic is queued more than 12km, adding almost two hours to travel times, while northbound motorists are being forced to wait 90 minutes in an eight-kilometre queue.

A NSW Rural Fire Service spokesperson said did not pose a danger to people or property, and crews were 'definitely getting the upper hand', Nine News reported.

Fire crews battled a huge blaze (pictured) which broke out after the crash about 1km south of the Freemans Drive interchange near Lake Macquarie, New South Wales

Fire crews battled a huge blaze (pictured) which broke out after the crash about 1km south of the Freemans Drive interchange near Lake Macquarie, New South Wales

Crews are expected to remain on site for a number of hours while the blaze is brought under control

Crews are expected to remain on site for a number of hours while the blaze is brought under control

The crash took place near Cooranbong, southwest of Newcastle in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales

The crash took place near Cooranbong, southwest of Newcastle in the Lake Macquarie region of New South Wales

Emergency services were called to the southbound lanes of the M1 about 12.50pm after the two trucks, including a fuel tanker, collided and one caught fire (pictured)

Emergency services were called to the southbound lanes of the M1 about 12.50pm after the two trucks, including a fuel tanker, collided and one caught fire (pictured)

'We're almost on top of it,' the spokesperson said.

Fire and Rescue NSW had eight crews on the scene to fight the fire, which was still burning two hours after the crash.

The crews are expected to remain on site for a number of hours while the blaze is brought under control. 

One of the trucks, a B-double, was sprayed with foam from a tanker after the collision, and a 200metre exclusion zone was set up.

The fire soon spread to bushland north of the crash site, and New South Wales Rural Fire Service was fighting the bushfire with the assistance of a water helicopter

The fire soon spread to bushland north of the crash site, and New South Wales Rural Fire Service was fighting the bushfire with the assistance of a water helicopter

Fire crews rushed to the scene to battle the massive blaze which broke out after the crash

Fire crews rushed to the scene to battle the massive blaze which broke out after the crash