This horror blaze is the reason why the M56 saw congestion carnage this morning.
The four-vehicle smash did not result in any injuries, police said, but it did lead to long delays and miles of traffic as officers dealt with the incident.
Police said two lorries and two cars collided shortly after 6:20am between junctions 6 (Manchester Airport) and 7 (Bowdon) on the motorway.
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The smash resulted in one lorry setting alight — with the fire’s terrifying scale is revealed by this dramatic footage, shot by an eyewitness.
Fortunately, no one was injured, a Cheshire Police spokesperson said.
“At 6.23am today, Thursday 2 December, police were called to reports of a collision on the M56 westbound between junctions 6 (Manchester Airport) and 7 (Bowden),” a force spokesperson told the Manchester Evening News.
“Officers attended the scene and found the collision involved four vehicles – a HGV, a red Suzuki Swift, a white Iveco HGV and a silver Ford Mondeo.
“One of the vehicles was on fire as a result of the incident – the fire has since been extinguished.
“There [were] no reports of any injuries, but the westbound carriageway [was] closed.”
The resulting closure led to traffic misery for commuters — with congestion spilling out onto the M56 and M60 as motorists were told to avoid the area.
At one stage, the queue was five miles long on the M60.
That led to 45 minute delays.
Officers attempted to alleviate the problem by implementing a contraflow lane on the eastbound side of the motorway, and eventually motorists trapped by the closure were allowed to pass through the middle lane of the westbound carriageway.
Despite releasing drivers shortly after 8am, miles of traffic were still present an hour later.
North West Ambulances were contacted for comment.
