Vehicle fire causes southbound delays on Auckland's Southern Motorway
Wednesday 30 September 2026 · 3 outlets · 3 reports · updated 
A vehicle fire on State Highway 1 near Penrose caused traffic delays during Wednesday afternoon rush hour. Emergency services were called to the blaze at approximately 4.25pm, blocking one southbound lane near the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway off-ramp. Police reported that no injuries occurred.
Key facts
4 facts
- A vehicle fire occurred on State Highway 1 near Penrose on Wednesday afternoon.
- Emergency services were called to the scene at about 4.25pm.
- No injuries were reported.
- One southbound lane was blocked.
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
A vehicle fire on State Highway 1 near Penrose caused southbound delays during the Wednesday afternoon rush hour. Emergency services were alerted to the blaze at approximately 4.25pm.
One southbound lane was blocked near the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway off-ramp or the South-Eastern Highway off-ramp. Police reported that there were no injuries resulting from the incident.
Footage of the fire showed the hood of a car completely engulfed in flames. Lurock Viljoen, who filmed the incident, noted the driver was "quite smart" to pull over "well off the motorway".
Viljoen observed two fire engines and a police car travelling towards the scene. He also noted that the motorway was beginning to back up.
How it developed
- Wed 30 Sep, 5:38pmWitness Lurock Viljoen provided video footage of the car's hood being engulfed in flames and described the driver's actions.
Where reports differ
- Reports differ on the name of the nearby off-ramp, citing either the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway off-ramp or the South-Eastern Highway off-ramp.
Compiled from reports by Stuff, 1News and NZ Herald.