A van 'suddenly exploded' on the hard shoulder of the M56 motorway in Chester, Cheshire, sending its passengers scrambling to safety. The incident occurred at around 5pm on June 6, when the burning vehicle was spotted eastbound on the motorway.
Eyewitness Account
An eyewitness who filmed the dramatic footage described how the Citroen van was billowing with smoke before it erupted into flames. 'While we were driving towards it, we could see the smoke. It wasn't on fire yet and people were getting out and trying to unload the van. It suddenly then exploded with fire and the passengers managed to get to the side,' he said.
A group of passengers could be seen standing at the side of the road with boxes unloaded from the van on the hard shoulder. The van was fully engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing over the motorway.
Emergency Response
Fire crews were called to the scene, and two lanes of the motorway were closed while the incident was dealt with. A Cheshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson stated: 'Shortly before 5pm, we received a number of calls of a van on fire on the hard shoulder of the M56 westbound carriageway. Fire engines fended off lanes one and two while firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire with a hose reel jet. Crews then handed the incident over to Highways.'
No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
