Emergency services have been kept on alert, responding to cotton truck fires in the region.

On Thursday local crews attended a fire on the Cobb Highway, adjacent to Hay Airport, where a truck carrying cotton modules caught alight.

Traffic was not impacted, thanks to the actions of the driver, who pulled the heavy vehicle away from the road.

This followed two similar cotton truck fire incidents east of Hay on the Sturt Highway last week, which closed one lane of traffic.

With the right conditions and moisture content, cotton can ignite, causing hazards for both drivers, and other traffic, when thick smoke is produced.

This article appeared in The Riverine Grazier, 16 July 2025.