A truck fire in the area of the Burlington Skyway Bridge significantly reduced traffic flow on a section of the QEW Tuesday.
OPP say a tractor-trailer collided with a concrete wall on the QEW around Eastport Drive in Hamilton at 10:19 a.m.
In a social media post, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt revealed that a fuel leak led to a fire that consumed not only the tractor but also the trailer and the insulation cargo inside the vehicle.
“The problem with the fire is down in the insulation,” Schmidt explained.
“They are taking the insulation off the trailer piece by piece, (and) dousing it with water to make sure that it’s not going to reignite.”
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Only one lane on the Toronto-bound side of the QEW was open at one point with all lanes closed on the southbound side.
A pair of lanes on the northbound and southbound side were open just before 3 p.m.
Schmidt said there were no injuries, and just the one vehicle involved in the incident.
In an update posted to X shortly before 6 p.m., Schmidt said problems were ongoing on the highway.
“Crews are continuing to excavate and clean up all the debris, which was insulation that was loaded in that trailer,” he said.
Schmidt said it was expected that all Toronto-bound lanes would be reopened by around 6:30 p.m. or 7 p.m.
“The southbound lanes are going to continue to be a challenge for the evening,” he said.
He estimated that it would take until around 9 p.m. until the Niagara-bound QEW was able to fully reopen.
“Expect massive delays in the area.”