Quinte West OPP say around 8:40 a.m., officers responded to reports of a tractor trailer on fire in the eastbound lane of the highway, about 1.5 kilometres east of St. Hilaire Road.
Both eastbound lanes were closed between Glen Miller Road in Trenton and Wallbridge-Loyalist Road in Belleville — a stretch of about 18 kilometres. Around 11 a.m., OPP tweeted that one lane of the eastbound highway was reopened.
Between Trenton and Belleville EB 401. Sent in from @WilliamsHotels @BellevilleON @InQuinteNews pic.twitter.com/02WdVixET4
— Chris Wiggins (@chriswiggins_) November 12, 2019
Traffic is being detoured along the highway’s emergency detour routes.
No injuries have been reported, OPP said.
Quinte West fire Chief John Whelan said the tractor trailer was carrying 40,000 pounds of glycol, a toxic substance found in antifreeze.
Whalen says the Ministry of Environment is on the way to Highway 401 to assess the scene of the fire. Whelan says about three quarters of the glycol the truck was carrying spilled on the highway.
The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
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