A WAYWARD tyre sparked a fire along the Murray Valley Highway at Tyntynder on Monday.
The rear tyre came loose from a vehicle travelling on the highway between Tyntynder and Creamery roads just before 2pm.
The driver, a man in his late 20s, was uninjured.
Ten Country Fire Authority (CFA) vehicles, from various crews, battled the fire, while police diverted traffic.
Swan Hill CFA captain Dennis Turner said it initially took the CFA two hours to put out the fire.
“We went back two more times after, once last night and once this morning,” he told The Guardian yesterday morning.
Capt Turner said a mechanical fault had caused the wheel to come off the vehicle, with CFA deeming the fire accidental.
“The bull rush’s (grass) that were on the side of the road was what gave us grief because it’s very hard to put out,” Capt Turner said.
“It took a while to black it out because of the day (heat) we had.”
Swan Hill police Sergeant Tanya Brooks said a passer-by alerted emergency services to the incident.
“So, obviously the quick response has avoided any further massive fire,” she said.
Sgt Brooks said the “hotter day”, with temperatures hitting above 40 degrees, could have influenced the incident to occur.
“But certainly the fact that the wind wasn’t strong, I think that’s also helped us because the wind hasn’t taken the fire further than it may have gone,” she said.
Meanwhile, police are investigating the cause of a fire near Castle Donnington yesterday.
The grass fire occurred beside the Murray Valley Highway about 8.35am.
Capt Turner told The Guardian the cause of the fire was unknown.
“Police are having a look at that,” he said.
Four CFA vehicles and police attended to the incident.
