An oil drum storage facility burst into flames overnight, throwing fireballs and billows of smoke into the air and causing substantial traffic issues on the Gateway Motorway.
The facility on Queensport Road in Murarrie, in Brisbane’s east, caught fire about 3am, and more than a dozen fire crews were required to extinguish the blaze.
The fire was out by 5.20am, but crews will stick around for most of the day to put out spot fires.
Police declared a public exclusion area calling for people to stay indoors that encompassed Alexandra Place, Creek Road, Wynnum Road, Lytton Road, and the Gateway Motorway, but revoked it at 6am.
The fire caused continued traffic problems on Friday morning, with the Gateway clogged both headed towards the city and away from it between Carindale and the Murarrie. The traffic cleared by 8am.
The Queensland Fire Department is not treating the blaze as suspicious, but do not yet know its cause. Police have declared a crime scene while investigations continue.
Paramedics attended the scene, but no injuries were reported.
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