Fire Kept From Fuel

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32335, 29 June 1970, Page 1

Fire Kept From Fuel

Quick action by the Rangiora Volunteer Fire Brigade about 5 p.m. yesterday prevented serious consequences when a fire broke out in a truck transporting 500 gallons of aviation fuel and an aerial topdressing loader. Although the cab was burnt out, the brigade prevented the fire reaching the aviation fuel tank close behind the cab. The fire is believed to have started when fuel escaped from the breather pipe from the aviation fuel tank and was ignited by the heat of the engine or by coming into contact with the electrical circuits.

The truck, belonging to Aerial Sowing, Ltd, Amberley, was travelling on a shingle road from the Ashley River bridge, near Rangiora, towards River

Road, when the driver, Mr J. Rowley, the son of the managing director of the company, Mr P. F. Rowley, of Amberley, noticed smoke and flame coming up the back of the cab. , Mr Rowley left the truck and called the brigade. “In 21 years I have been in this sort of business, it is the first time this ever happened. In fact I’ve never heard of it before,” said Mr Rowley.

“Aviation fuel Is potentially a very dangerous commodity and for this reason we go to considerable expense in designing and modifying trucks used for this work. The fire could not have been caused by the fuel dropping on to the hot exhaust pipe, because this had been changed to come out the front of the vehicle, he said.