State Highway 1 north of Wellington was closed in both directions on September 9, 2026, after a petrol tanker cab caught fire on the Peka Peka Expressway near the Ōtaki River. Fire and Emergency New Zealand deployed 19 vehicles to contain the blaze, preventing the fuel cargo from igniting.
Morning commuters faced severe delays on the Kāpiti Coast as emergency services locked down a stretch of State Highway 1 north of Wellington following a vehicle fire that triggered multiple explosions. The incident began shortly after dawn, drawing a massive response from regional fire brigades. A petrol tanker has caught fire and exploded on the Kāpiti Coast highway, closing a section of State Highway 1, with the incident happening around 5am just south of the Kāpiti Coast town of Ōtaki. Photos and video from the scene show a fuel tanker on fire, while a commenter on social media said the truck’s cab was an “inferno” when they passed at 5.10am. At least four fire crews raced to the scene of the truck fire on State Highway 1 near Ōtaki on the Kāpiti Coast.
Emergency Response and Fire Containment on the Peka Peka Expressway
The first 111 call was received at 5.06am, directing multiple brigades to the fuel tanker on fire on the Peka Peka Expressway just south of the Ōtaki River, on the Kapiti coast. When the first crews arrived, the cab of the tanker was well ablaze. The tanker is in the northbound lane.
As the situation escalated, resources poured into the area. As at 6am there are 19 fire trucks, tankers and specialist vehicles at the scene or en route, Fire and Emergency NZ said.
Police said there were no reports of injuries. Despite the intensity of the truck fire, firefighters managed to keep the flames from reaching the fuel the tanker was carrying. In an update just before 7am, Assistant National Commander Bruce Stubbs said the fire had been contained to the cab and vehicle tractor.
It’s a really good save by our crews,
he said. Firefighters remain at the scene to dampen down the area, and the expressway remains closed.
Explosions Rock Nearby Residents in Te Horo
Locals reported hearing multiple explosions after the initial fire was called in. Te Horo resident Sonia Hislop told the Herald she was woken at 5.15am (with another source noting 5.18am) by a “huge boom” that left her glasses and cups rattling in the kitchen. Her house was later rocked by two booms that were less violent.
She could still hear sirens at 6.25am, while motorists were being detoured through Waikanae and past her house, which is on the old state highway. My nice quiet road’s not quiet any more,
she said.
Road Closures and Mandatory Detours Across the Kāpiti Coast
The emergency response forced a total closure of State Highway 1. New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said the road between Waikanae to Ōtaki was closed in both directions, and the Peka Peka expressway is closed from Ōtaki to Te Horo, specifically closed from Pekapeka to Ōtaki south of the northbound on-ramp. The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi website says: Please delay your journey or use an alternative route.
New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi detailed the required alternate routes:
- Northbound road users: “to take Waikanae off-ramp, Te Moana Rd, old SH1, through Ōtaki township then back onto SH1,” a NZTA spokesperson said.
- Southbound travellers: “should detour via Ōtaki off-ramp through Ōtaki township and onto the old SH1 and Te Moana Rd.”
A Hato Hone St John spokesman said the ambulance service was aware of the incident, but could not comment on whether it was treating any patients, as Fire and Emergency was the lead agency.
