Huge fire 'tornado' lights up sky after duel fuel tanker caught on fire

A flame 'tornado' spiralled up in the air after a fuel tanker caught fire in this dramatic footage.

The fire led major traffic delays on Van Reenan's Pass in South Africa on Monday as the leaked fuel set another four trucks nearby alight.

Videos taken by motorists from miles away show the massive fire whirl lighting up the sky.

Fire emergency services said the tanker caught on fire due to a mechanical failure while parked in a lay-by near the Pyramid Motel.

The fire can be seen from miles away after it caught on fire from a mechanical failure (Twitter)

Firefighters worked throughout the night to bring the fire under control.

The northbound road was closed and motorists had to use both left and right southbound lanes.

Fire services were called to the scene to put out the fire and the road remained closed the day after (Twitter)

Con Roux, commercial manager of N3TC, said there was extensive damage to the road surface where the incident happened.

Speaking last night, he told Sowetan Live : "It is not possible to give any estimate yet of when the affected lanes of the N3 route will be fully reopened.

"Due to the damage and the massive operation under way to recover, clean up and repair the damage, road users may still experience some delays on Van Reenen's Pass.

"We appeal to all transporters and motorists to exercise extreme caution, especially during night-time travel, while our teams work to make the road safe and trafficable."