'Substantial' lorry fire causes motorway closure

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg02wp12w4o

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The fire broke out on Friday morning on the M62 motorway

A lorry carrying sawdust which caught fire on the M62 motorway in West Yorkshire has caused major delays for motorists.

The blaze, which started at about 10:20 GMT and soon spread to the embankment, was described by a National Highways spokesperson as "substantial". They also confirmed the driver of the lorry had safely escaped the fire.

On Friday evening, the eastbound carriageway remained closed between junction 20 for Rochdale and Oldham and junction 24 for Huddersfield and Halifax.

On X, formerly Twitter, National Highways said a "complex recovery and clean-up operation" was still under way at about 17:10 GMT and drivers could expect delays of about 30 minutes.

Crews from several fire stations in West Yorkshire were involved in tackling the blaze

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Slaithwaite, Illingworth, Rastrick and Halifax fire stations had been at the scene.

Drivers were advised to find alternative routes.

Two lanes of the westbound carriageway were also closed for a time due to drifting smoke.

Posting on X, external, National Highways said extra officers had been deployed to turn traffic around as the fire service were "not happy" to allow traffic to travel past the scene.

National Highways said 10 traffic officer patrols had been assigned to the incident and it would take "some time" to resolve.

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