The New England in NSW has reopened after a truck full of KFC popcorn chicken went up in flames in a shocking inferno.
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Residents of East Tamworth were woken to the sound of multiple explosions after a fire started in a B-double truck travelling on Armidale Road about 5am.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but were unable to halt the blaze before it completely consumed the trailer.
The accident left a line of trucks waiting on the side of the road, with the New England Highway blocked in both directions by the spectacular blaze.
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The highway was able to be reopened later that morning, but with just one lane usable, traffic was delayed for hours.
It was finally opened fully on Thursday afternoon.
The truck was towing a trailer with KFC chicken on board when its tyres blew out and caught fire, according to witnesses.
The driver was able to unhook the trailer and escaped the accident in his prime mover unharmed.
But there was no escape for his cargo.
Photos from the scene show the trailer contained popcorn chicken from KFC, among other refrigerated food items.
Oxley Police District crime manager, Acting Inspector Jason Darcy appealed to the public for information about the accident.
"Obviously pallets don't get lit by themselves so something's happened. Any information would be good," he said.
Inspector Darcy said the incident is not being treated as suspicious, but remains an open investigation.
"We've got police looking at it now," he said.
A spokesperson from Fire and Rescue NSW told the Leader firefighters battled the blaze on Thursday morning, but the trailer was completely destroyed by 6.30am.
Emergency crews extinguished the blaze later that morning.
An eyewitness reported that the fire was started after a tyre exploded, igniting the trailer from underneath.
The remaining tyres exploded over the next 20 minutes, she said.