Hesse: Autobahn 3 closed for hours due to burning trucks

Niedernhausen/Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Because of a burning truck, Autobahn 3 in the Taunus was closed on Saturday night.

Hesse: Autobahn 3 closed for hours due to burning trucks

Niedernhausen/Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - Because of a burning truck, Autobahn 3 in the Taunus was closed on Saturday night. As the police in Wiesbaden announced on Saturday, there was a long traffic jam on the busy route towards Cologne. Firefighters fought the flames for almost five hours.

According to the fire brigade of the Rheingau-Taunus district, a truck loaded with 35 cubic meters of mail caught fire between Niedernhausen and Idstein. "The extinguishing work was difficult because the burning charge had to be completely discharged and extinguished outdoors," explained district fire chief Michael Ehrlichsmann.

Motorists were stuck in traffic jams from 11 p.m. or had to drive around the area in a wide arc. According to the fire department, there were three medical emergencies in the traffic jam. According to the police, the two left lanes were only released again around five in the morning. The right lane was initially closed until the burned-out truck could be recovered.

It was initially unclear how the fire started. The 42-year-old driver noticed the fire and drove his semitrailer onto the hard shoulder. The man escaped from the cab before it burst into flames. From there, the fire then spread to the trailer and cargo.