Police are warning drivers there is now nowhere to buy fuel along the close to 450km stretch of road between Comooweal in Queensland, and Threeways roadhouse in the Northern Territory, with the Barkly Homestead roadhouse closed indefinitely due to fire damage.

The Barkly Homestead roadhouse, the lone fuel stop on the Barkly Hwy between the Stuart Hwy and Comooweal, which is about 13km across the border, is now closed after a major kitchen fire on Tuesday, with owner David Bassingthwaighte telling the ABC it could be weeks before they are open again.

He said there were three people staying at the roadhouse at the time of the blaze who were uninjured, and his priority was restoring power at the site to resume fuel sales.

“I suspect it will be several weeks before we’re up and going again. But then it’ll be operating on a fuel-only basis… After that, we’ll just have to play it by ear on how much damage there is and how long it’ll take to fix,” he told ABC.

Mount Isa Police District Senior Sergeant Sean Wade told the ABC Camooweal Police would be getting signs placed along the Barkly Hwy to warn motorists before they cross into the Territory.

“It’s an essential stop for caravanners due to the fuel, especially at this time of year when the temperatures are up around the high 30s and early 40s,” he said.

The Barkly Homestead roadhouse, built in 1984, is an important stop for truckies and provides crucial services and supplies to the surrounding community.

It was purchased for $14 million by the Bassingthwaightes last year.

“We’ve done some hotel rooms and are just in the process of renovating amenity buildings. So, to have this happen is a real setback,” he told the ABC.