- Highway-bound tractor engulfed in flames on asphalt surface.
Apparently, due to some technical glitch, a truck on the A7 went up in flames and was completely annihilated. According to East Hesse's Police Headquarters, the driver and passenger managed to escape unhurt from the flames that erupted between Homberg Efze and Bad Hersfeld (West). The truck was a total write-off, and the road's hard shoulder and the surrounding embankment suffered damage as well. The estimated cost of damages is around 290,000 euros.
The 64-year-old driver is said to have spotted an issue around noon, causing him to pull over his tractor-trailer onto the hard shoulder. Soon enough, he noticed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, and before he knew it, the tractor-trailer was engulfed in flames. Multiple fire departments were required to put out the blaze. The fire posed a risk of spreading towards the forest along the embankment, but fortunately, this was averted.
To control the fire, all southbound traffic was required to come to a complete standstill. Due to the smoke, the opposite lane was also forced to close temporarily. The tailback extended almost 20 kilometers. The police anticipated that both the first and second lanes would remain closed for cleaning and recovery work well into the evening.
The police directed traffic around the area to ensure the safety of other commuters during the fire incident. later, they also worked closely with the fire department to assess the extent of damage and conduct an investigation into the cause of the technical glitch.
