A truck exploded into a ball of flames after running off the Hume Highway and hitting a tree on Tuesday evening.

The truck’s fuel tank caught fire and exploded, engulfing the entire vehicle in flames, soon after it ran off the highway at Barnawartha North about 5.20pm.

The driver escaped before the flames took hold and was later taken to hospital.

The cabin of the refrigerated truck melted under the heat of the intense blaze, The Border Mail reported.

It took 40 firefighters from Barnawartha, Chilton and Wodonga about 15 minutes to gain control of the blaze, but the goods inside the truck burned for at least another hour.

Police are investigating whether fatigue contributed to the crash.