Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Conor Gogarty

M4 Briton Ferry Bridge fire rages for five hours after explosion as huge firefighting team called

The cause of a fire which raged for five hours on the M4 was accidental, according to a fire service statement.

People living near the Briton Ferry Bridge in Neath Port Talbot described hearing explosions just after 11pm on Saturday night. Videos showed huge flames and smoke plumes coming from a lorry on the bridge.

Traffic monitoring service Inrix said there was an accident near Junction 42 where "a vehicle involved caught fire". It took five firefighting crews around five hours to fully extinguish the blaze. The road has reopened eastbound but the westbound carriageway remains closed as of 8.45am on Sunday.

Read next: M4 closed at Briton Ferry after lorry fire and explosions - latest updates

A Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman told WalesOnline: "We had a call at 11.26pm and sent crews from Port Talbot, Neath, Morriston, Swansea Central and Whitchurch in Cardiff. Specialist appliances attended as well. One lorry and the goods of the lorry were totally destroyed by fire.

"Crews extinguished the fire using three main jets, two hose reel jets, two thermal imaging cameras and one main jet using foam. It was fully extinguished at 4.30am. The cause was accidental. There were no injuries. We have left the scene in the hands of police."

The fire at the Briton Ferry Bridge on night of May 21 (Peter Boak)

Inrix said at 8.45am that the westbound carriageway remained shut between J41 A48 Pentyla-Baglan Road (Baglan / Pentyla) and J43 A465 (Llandarcy). Accident investigation work is taking place. South Wales Police have been approached for more information. You can follow our live coverage of the incident here.

To get the latest breaking news in your inbox, subscribe to our dedicated newsletter here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.