A MAN has miraculously climbed out of a burning inferno after fire engulfed his car and caravan near Moonbi yesterday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 39-year-old, who is part of the Hudson’s Circus support crew, had just left Tamworth bound for Queensland when something went wrong just before midday.
After reaching the top of the Moonbi hill on the New England Highway, the driver told emergency services he tried to pull over.
“The caravan began to shake and he braked, causing him to lose control and the caravan has rolled,” Acting Inspector Michael Moy told The Leader yesterday.
“As a result both vehicles have caught fire.”
Luckily, the man – who was the sole occupant of the car – was not trapped and managed to escape the flames and get out of the vehicle in the nick of time.
Ambulance paramedics treated the man for back injuries before he was taken to Tamworth hospital in a stable condition.
The station wagon which sat dangling over the side of the embankment sparked a grassfire along the side of the highway.
Acting Inspector Moy said the Rural Fire Service was activated to douse the flames which spread quickly in the warm conditions.
“The caravan has subsequently been gutted and there is significant damage to the car,” he said.
As traffic banked up around the accident scene, crews from the RMS and RFS worked to clear the charred and crumpled remains of the caravan, which was barely recognisable after the inferno.
Alternative conditions were set up to get the traffic moving before the road re-opened yesterday afternoon.