A stretch of the M11 is closed after a lorry carrying aerosol cans caught fire and exploded.
Firefighter battled the huge blaze which began shortly before 5pm between junctions eight and nine near Stansted Airport, Essex.
Traffic was gridlocked in both directions and motorists were advised to find alternative routes.
Images and footage taken in the aftermath show the trailer engulfed in a fireball as thick plumes of black smoke billow above.
In an update earlier, Essex Fire and Rescue Service station manager Dave Bond said the HGV ‘was carrying aerosol cans which exploded and scattered across both side of the carriageway’.
He added: ‘Thankfully the driver was not badly hurt.
‘I must praise crews who worked extremely hard to establish a water supply in such a remote location and quickly get the incident under control.’
Mr Bond also thanked the control team ‘who received dozens of calls with conflicting reports but still managed to get crews to the scene quickly’.
Police say it is unlikely the northbound carriageway will reopen before midnight and the southbound carriageway is unlikely to open before 8am tomorrow.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.