A blaze broke out in a cider lorry on the M5 yesterday (April 25), causing a 14-hour road closure. Dramatic photos from the scene of the incident near junction 20 for Clevedon show the vehicle engulfed in a ball of flames.
The lorry was carrying 50 empty kegs and three pallets of bottled cider when it burst into flames just after 1pm. Traffic was stopped immediately on both sides of the motorway, before the southbound carriageway re-opened around an hour later. However, the northbound side remained closed until 3am.
The queues began to build and, at one point, there were nearly nine miles of tailbacks. This added at least an hour to journey times. Police confirmed that no one was injured in the incident with Westons Cider lorry saying it has made arrangements for the driver to be brought home safely.
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The cause of the blaze is currently unknown but the fire is now out. At around 6.15pm, Highways England reported that the northbound closure was reduced to one lane. This closure remained overnight to allow for resurfacing work.
Locals described hearing 'massive explosions' as the cider lorry erupted into flames. And drivers caught in the lengthy queues posted images of long tailbacks online.
A dramatic video showed smoke rising over the motorway as the lorry became engulfed in flames. Avon Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene and distinguished the flames by 3.27pm.
The fire service wrote on Twitter: "The fire has now been extinguished. A lorry carrying 50 empty kegs and three pallets of bottled cider was found well alight. Firefighters used one high-pressure hose reel, two 45mm jets and gas monitors to extinguish the blaze."
Darryl Hinksman, Head of Business Development at Weston's Cider said: "Yes one of our vehicles did catch fire a couple of hours ago on the M5 near the exit for Clevedon.
"Thankfully the driver is unharmed and as far as we are aware there are no reports of any other injuries; we are currently making arrangements to bring the driver home. This is quite a new vehicle and at the moment we have no idea as to the cause of the incident."
A spokesperson for Avon & Somerset Police said: "A road closure is currently in place on the M5 northbound from between junction 20 (Clevedon) to junction 19 (Portishead) due to a vehicle fire. There are no reported injuries."
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