Motorway closure: Truck with a palm oil tank goes up in flames on the A9

On Thursday evening, a truck with palm oil in the tank trailer caught fire on Autobahn 9 on the Thuringian-Bavarian border.

Motorway closure: Truck with a palm oil tank goes up in flames on the A9

On Thursday evening, a truck with palm oil in the tank trailer caught fire on Autobahn 9 on the Thuringian-Bavarian border. The 57-year-old driver reacted with presence of mind and steered the vehicle onto the hard shoulder, the police said. He was able to get to safety in time, unharmed. Due to the possible danger of an explosion from the 25,000 liters of palm oil, both lanes around the accident site were completely closed for safety reasons.

In the direction of Berlin, the lane was released again after about an hour, in the direction of Munich after 100 minutes. Because of the salvage of the burned-out vehicle, the right and middle lanes remain closed, it said shortly before 10 p.m. The diversion of traffic is difficult due to the closure of the surrounding state and federal roads.

According to initial findings, a hydraulic hose had burst on the tractor. The escaping hydraulic oil ignited in the engine compartment and immediately caught fire. The tractor was completely burned out, it said. The fire brigade was able to prevent the flames from spreading to the tank trailer with the palm oil.

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