Dramatic lorry fire closes motorway for hours

A dramatic lorry fire closed a major motorway for hours on Friday. The blaze was between Burnham-On-Sea and Bridgwater in Somerset on the M5 caused long delays for motorists.

Fire crews were called to the motorway around 9.30am after a lorry burst into flames, sending thick smoke across both carriageways. Residents in the area reported hearing “three loud bangs” at the start of the incident followed by seeing thick smoke.

Crews battled the flames with water jets and other equipment. Long delays built up on the M5 in both directions.

There was also a separate medical emergency on the northbound carriageway between junctions 22 and 21, which the ambulance service an air ambulance attended. The northbound stretch reopened at around 1pm, with long tailbacks back to junction 25.

National Highways warned of long delays of several hours. There was also congestion on local roads through East Huntspill, Bridgwater and Highbridge as traffic tried to divert away from the motorway.