PHOTOS: Truck Fire Halts Traffic on Hwy. 401 in Milton

Published October 20, 2017 at 11:37 am

An early morning transport truck fire is once again snarling traffic along Hwy. 401 in Milton for the second time this week.

An early morning transport truck fire is once again snarling traffic along Hwy. 401 in Milton for the second time this week.

“The truck had a malfunction of some sort,” said OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, adding “there’s no collision.”

The driver pulled over and saw smoke; diesel spilled from the saddle tank.

No injuries have been reported, said Schmidt at 7:30 a.m.

All lanes along the eastbound 401 before Guelph Line are blocked — traffic is getting by on the left shoulder.

If that stretch of the 401 sounds familiar, it is.

That’s where a five-vehicle crash took place on Oct. 17, closing all eastbound lanes for the entire workday.

A vehicle was stopped on the shoulder when another transport truck struck it, ripping its side open and spilling debris, diesel, and vehicle parts all across the highway, Schmidt said. A truck driver was charged with careless driving in relation to the Oct. 17 collision. Wrecks involving commercial vehicles can take much longer than what we would expect or want it to, said Schmidt.

The next day, a dump truck collision/rollover closed the westbound 401 at Hwy. 24 in Cambridge, also affecting Milton drivers.

Cleanup crews are en route to the scene in Milton, said Schmidt, adding it may take several hours before reopening.

UPDATE: Crews are working on clearing the scene, and all lanes could reopen by 9:15 a.m., said Schmidt.

UPDATE: Left and centre lanes are open as of 9:47 a.m., and the right lane remains blocked.

UPDATE: All lanes are open as of 11:37 a.m.

Photos courtesy of OPP

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