Mechanical fault leaves truck carrying copper mineral concentrate destroyed in hazardous fire near Bannister

A truck carrying a copper mineral concentrate was destroyed by fire on Gold Mine Road in Bannister, sparking a hazmat warning for nearby residents and forcing a road closure on Friday night. At about 9pm on February 13, emergency services were alerted to a truck fire near the intersection of Gold Mine Road and Kalimna Way near Bannister, in the Shire of Boddington. The truck was transporting a copper mineral concentrate at the time, potentially emitting hazardous smoke that posed a risk to people in the area. A mechanical brake fault on the truck caused the hazardous blaze. More than 30 emergency personnel, including volunteer fire and rescue service and bushfire brigade crews, plus the State Emergency Service from Boddington, Williams, Pingelly, Crossman and Marradong rushed to the scene. The 20m by 30m fire had engulfed the vehicle, destroying it. No injuries were reported and St John WA was not in attendance. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services issued the warning shortly after 9pm on Friday, requesting residents remain inside with doors and windows closed and air-conditioners switched off, but there was no direct threat to the community. An exclusion zone was set up for emergency crews and thermal imaging was used to monitor the plume. A length of Gold Mine Road was closed from both directions and a reduced speed limit was put in place, managed by WA Police. The fire was contained and controlled by 1am on Saturday. DFES downgraded the hazmat incident warning 20 minutes later, with the people in Bannister and surrounds no longer impacted by the dangerous smoke or fumes. Emergency services handed over the incident to a transport company who were in charge of recovery.