Lorry full of aerosols explodes on the M11 causing travel chaos and leaving the carriageway strewn with shrapnel
Parts of the M11 have been shut after a lorry's cargo exploded and scattered across the motorway yesterday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to the southbound M11 between Junction 10 and Junction 8 near to Stansted Airport at around 5pm on Wednesday, July 14.
A lorry was discovered to be completely engulfed in flames, as a video shared on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke bellowing into the sky.
The HGV had been carrying aerosol cans which caught fire and exploded while the vehicle was travelling through the south east.
Just before the Birchanger junction pic.twitter.com/INTKqCTS2s
— Barry Hockley (@barryhockley42) July 14, 2021
Just before the Birchanger junction pic.twitter.com/INTKqCTS2s
A lorry on the M11 was discovered to be completely engulfed in flames, as a video shared on social media showed huge plumes of black smoke bellowing into the sky
Images showing the immediate aftermath shared on Twitter revealed the widespread destruction caused by the aerosol explosion.
Burnt canisters were left scattered across both the north and southbound carriageways of the M11.
Six appliances from across the region responded to the incident. The extent of the driver's injuries have not been shared by the emergency services.
Essex Fire and Rescue Service's Station Manager Dave Bond explained: 'The articulated lorry was carrying aerosol cans which exploded and scattered across both side of the carriageway.
'Thankfully the driver was not badly hurt.
Firefighters were called to the M11 southbound between Junction 10 and Junction 8 at around 5pm on Wednesday, July 14. Pictured: The aftermath of the HGV
Burnt canisters were left scattered across both the north and southbound carriageways of the M11
'I must praise crews who worked extremely hard to establish a water supply in such a remote location and quickly get the incident under control.
'Unfortunately, the road will be closed for some time due to the extent of the fire.
'I would like to thank everyone involved in bringing this incident to a safe conclusion - and in particular our Control team who received dozens of calls with conflicting reports but still managed to get crews to the scene quickly.'
There were huge delays to motorists in the aftermath of the blaze, with alternative routes taking some drivers on a 30-mile detour.
Part of the motorway remains closed as this time, with an update expected later this morning.
Essex Police has warned motorists that the northbound carriageway was unlikely to reopen before midnight, while the southbound carriageway is also likely to remain shut before 8am.