Hume Highway remains closed after petrol tanker crash

Part of the Hume Highway is likely to remain closed until the middle of the day on Thursday after a petrol tanker rolled and spilled fuel across the road.

Police shut the highway a kilometre north of the Wallan-Whittlesea Road about 6.20pm (AEST) on Wednesday after the B-double petrol tanker was involved in a crash with a car.

VicRoads said they hope the southbound lane would be re-opened by about 8.30am (AEST) but the northbound lane would remain closed until the middle of the day.

About 85 members of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) worked through the night to contain about 57,000 litres of petrol that spilled onto the road.

A CFA spokesman said the fuel that remained in the tanker had now been siphoned out and a crane had been brought in to remove the damaged tank from the crash site.

The Environment Protection Authority has been monitoring the clean-up.

"At several stages we had highly explosive levels there, hence the reason they shut down both sides of the freeway," the CFA spokesman said.

"It's the largest amount that you can actually carry on Victorian roads."

CFA workers doused the spill in foam to prevent an explosion.

They also spread soil over drains and stormwater pits to prevent the fuel from contaminating waterways.

The drivers of both the petrol tanker and the car escaped with minor injuries

Source: Industry Search