A fire involving a heavy goods vehicle with a trailer broke out on the outer ring road in Toulouse on Tuesday, prompting the temporary closure of the road and sending a large column of thick black smoke into the sky.
The blaze erupted in the Sept-Deniers district of the city, near the Ponts-Jumeaux entrance, and spread to nearby vegetation. The smoke was visible from miles away, drawing concern from social media users who shared clips and pictures of the incident on X.
Explosions heard as smoke fills the air
Journalist Manon Sanchez shared a picture on X showing a large plume of smoke rising from the incident, adding: "Several explosions heard coming from the ring road, near the exit for the twin bridges in Toulouse".
Another social media user, sharing a picture of the plume billowing in the sky, wrote: "What is that black smoke in Toulouse?"
Fire service confirms lorry involved
The Haute-Garonne fire service confirmed the fire involved a lorry with a trailer, telling local news outlet ActuToulouse: "This is a fire involving a heavy goods vehicle with a trailer on the inner ring road."
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
Road closed as firefighters tackle blaze
The outer ring road was temporarily closed to traffic to allow emergency services to tackle the fire, which was brought under control at around 4.50pm local time (3.50pm BST).
