Two on the run after stolen car causes truck to explode into flames on Logan Motorway
Police are hunting for two people behind the wheel of a stolen car that crashed into a truck, causing it to ignite and explode on a major highway in Queensland.
Acting Detective Inspector Adam Cordner said an allegedly stolen Audi S5 collided with the rear of a truck carrying hazardous material on the Logan Motorway, near Kingston and Loganlea, about 8.15pm yesterday.
The truck continued to travel for a few hundred metres before it went up in flames.
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The truck crash on the Logan Motorway between an allegedly stolen Audi and a truck caused a massive fireball. Nine
"The occupants of the stolen Audi A5, there were two, immediately decamped from the scene and are still outstanding," Cordner said in a press conference this afternoon.
Cordner said the Audi had allegedly been stolen from Inala Avenue in Durack after the car crashed with a stolen white Mazda.
That white Mazda had also been allegedly stolen after a crash with a Ford Fiesta on Grange Road at Eastern Heights earlier that same night.
Cordner alleged the two missing offenders had been in the Ford Fiesta.
There were no reports of injuries from the traffic crash at Durack or Eastern Heights.
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Queensland authorities set up an exclusion zone after the fire caused toxic smoke to settle over the nearby area. Nine
The fire led to an emergency declaration being made under the state's Public Safety Preservation Act, after thick waves of toxic fumes spread across the area.
It took eight fire trucks about an hour to get control of the fire.
The truck driver managed to escape the wreckage and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
"It's very fortunate that the truck driver wasn't injured ... it's incredibly lucky," Cordner said.
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The wreckage of a truck that burst into flames on the Logan Motorway in south-east Queensland. Nine
The charred remains of the truck have been taken away from the scene. Nine
The initial fireball and the emergency response forced a shutdown of the motorway through the night.
The road remains partially closed this afternoon and motorists are advised to avoid the area.
Police investigations remain ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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