Firefighters are pictured at the scene of this afternoon's car transporter fire on the M40.

1 July 2009

Firefighters were called to a fire on the M40 this afternoon which severely damaged a car transporter and the eight cars it was carrying.

It happened on the east southbound section between junctions 5 (Stokenchurch) and 4 (High Wycombe), about a mile from Handy Cross.

The first of 31 calls to the incident was put through to Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Command and Control Room at 12.53pm.

Two appliances and crews from High Wycombe, one from Watlington, Oxfordshire, and water tankers from Princes Risborough and Waddesdon attended, along with Station Manager John Bull from High Wycombe Fire Station.

John said: “The driver was alerted to the fire when a fellow lorry driver drew level with him and attracted his attention to the fact that there was smoke coming from underneath the front axle.

“Firefighters used foam and water to knock down the fire, and we were able to supplement our water supplies with two of our 9,000-litre water tankers.”

The water tanker from Princes Risborough refilled at Handy Cross after using up its load and returned to the scene.

John added: ”I would like to thanks our colleagues from Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service, the Highways Agency and Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service for their assistance in dealing with this incident and managing the scene. It was a very good example of multi-agency working at its best.”