Highway horror: Truck driver's lucky escape after trailer catches fire

A Kiwi truck driver had a lucky escape after his trailer caught fire on a highway. 

His truck was hurtling south on State Highway 1 in the South Island when he noticed flames fanning out of the trailer.

The driver couldn't pull over, fearing how quickly the fire could spread to tinder dry paddock in strong winds.

He instead rung emergency services and kept driving until he found somewhere safe to stop, the carpark of the Makikihi Country Hotel south of Timaru. 

The driver was able to separate the truck from its trailers before the fire took hold. 

Sixteen firefighters from around the region rushed to the scene but the blaze was too quick to save the two trailers and their load.

"It was full of milk powder, cans of milk powder - all gone," Waimate Station Officer John McConnell said. 

It was a lucky escape for the driver, captured on camera.

The cause of the how the trailer caught fire is being investigated. 

Newshub.