Traffic - A5 free again after fire and recovery of hazardous goods truck
After a cargo truck carrying Sodium Hydroxide caught fire on Autobahn 5 near Rosbach in the Wetterau District, all three lanes have been reopened for traffic. However, the emergency lane at the scene of the fire is expected to remain closed until Thursday at the earliest, according to a police spokesperson. The damage to the truck was estimated to be around 150,000 Euros by the police. The cause was reportedly a technical defect.
The truck that caught fire had been carrying Sodium Hydroxide, which is a strongly diluted cleaning agent. According to the police, the substance itself is not dangerous but needs to be pumped out by a specialized company to remove the truck from the road. The Autobahn is expected to be closed again in the morning for these operations. Traffic was backed up for about ten to eleven kilometers in the afternoon before the lanes were reopened.
The driver was unharmed in the incident. The Autobahn was closed for hours overnight between the Friedberg interchange and the Bad Homburg Cross in the direction of Frankfurt due to the fire.
- The incident occurred in the Wetterau district, a part of Central Hesse in the German state of Hesse.
- To clear the damaged truck from the lane, a specialized salvage company will need to use a fire truck, navigating through the narrow emergency lane due to the ongoing closure of the main lanes.
- On a side note, officials have advised drivers to avoid using the lane in the Wetterau district as much as possible until the operations are complete to ensure traffic flow and road safety.
- After the fire incident, drivers in neighboring areas, such as Lane in Hesse, may experience additional traffic congestion due to the detours in place or increased traffic on alternative routes.
