Traffic mayhem after garbage truck fire

Drivers in Sydney’s south west have been warned of “significant delays” on the M5, as emergency crews work to extinguish a truck fire.

The vehicle had been carrying recycled rubbish before its cargo went up in flames at about 6am.

Images released by Live Traffic Sydney show debris flowing from the back of the truck, exuding smoke as it lies strewn across the road.

Two of the three westbound lanes were closed for a period from about 7am on the M5 approaching Beaconsfield St.

All citybound lanes remained open; however, emergency services warned commuters of the crawling traffic.

“Westbound traffic is queued back to Riverwood and citybound traffic is queued to Prestons,” Transport for NSW said in a statement.

“Motorists are advised to allow plenty of extra travel time and exercise caution, as smoke in the area may affect visibility.”

Drivers have been warned a clean-up operation will still need to take place once the fire is put out.

“Additional lanes may close intermittently as clean-up continues,” Live Traffic Sydney said.

As of about 10am one westbound lane remained closed while eastbound traffic was also being affected.

Traffic remains heavy in the area and motorists have been cautioned to expect “significant delays”.