Four people have been taken to Tennant Creek Hospital after they were involved in a vehicle fire at Banka Banka Station, located approximately 110 kilometres north of Tennant Creek on the Stuart Highway. The incident occurred about 1.15 pm.

It appears the family, a man aged 35, a woman aged 30 and two young boys aged three and one, had set up camp at the caravan park. The man had gone to fill up a generator with a jerry can between the car and the caravan when either vapours or petrol has splashed on the exhaust pipe of the car and the caravan caught alight. This quickly turned into a fireball when a gas bottle on the caravan exploded.

The man managed to rescue the woman and two children who were inside the caravan at the time but in doing so he and the woman suffered burns to their arms and legs. The children were not injured. Due to the intensity of the fire it then spread to the vehicle totally destroying it and the caravan.

Tennant Creek Police, Fire and Rescue Officers, medical staff from Bootu Creek Mine and clinic staff attended at the scene and all four have been conveyed to Tennant Creek Hospital. The man and woman are in a stable condition.


Media contact:
Sue Bradley
0417770686