EXCLUSIVE

COMMUTER traffic ground to a shuddering halt on Monday morning after a wagon burst into flames on the busy Silk Road closing the main link into the town centre for five hours.

The lorry, carrying a cargo of one-and-a-half tonnes of industrial foam, exploded into a ball of fire at 6.30am with a deafening blast heard across Tytherington and Hurdsfield. Firefighters were still battling the inferno hours later.

One lane was reopened after the emergency services were satisfied it was safe for the traffic to proceed, but most commuters were late for work as the road closure crippled the entire town centre road network as motorists tried to find an escape route.

Firemen, who said a thunderstorm helped their battle for control of the fire, believed the contents of the HGV had "spontaneously combusted", gutting the 45ft trailer and cab. The driver of the Kay Metzler articulated lorry bravely tried to uncouple his cab from the trailer in a bid to save it but he was beaten back by intense heat and dense smoke. He escaped unhurt after noticing something was wrong as he approach Wickes roundabout at the junction of Hulley Road at about 6.30am on Monday, June 12.

One Tytherington homeowner said: "The blast woke me up. There was this huge bang, one hell of a bang, at about six in the morning. There was this big plume of smoke - the lorry looked like it had exploded."

An exasperated commuter reported that it had taken one hour and ten minutes for her to try and reach London Road from Bollington - and she was still counting. The journey would normally take about ten minutes. She was just one of hundreds caught up in the nightmare.

Four fire engines were called to the inferno which was so intense that the lorry's tyres blew out. It was under control by 7.10am but police cordoned off the road for a further four hours to allow the vehicle to cool down.

A Macclesfield firefighter said: "We think it was a case of spontaneous combustion, maybe caused by a combination of the heat and the foam blocks rubbing together. Luckily we had a bit of a thunderstorm while we were there, which did help."

A Kay Metzeler spokeswoman said: "The cause of the fire is being investigated at the moment so we don't feel we can comment on that as yet.

"We have had foam manufacturers across Europe for the last 50 years and this is the first time anything like this has occurred - certainly recently.

"We are just very pleased the driver is safe."

  • LATER the same day, at about 4.06pm, another lorry, a red Leyland DAF with a white tipper, overturned by the Tytherington roundabout near to Bollington.

There were two casualties, who were rushed to Macclesfield Hospital with spinal injuries.

Paramedics had to use special back-supporting boards on the injured, one of whom was a 30-year-old male.

But the lorry, which was not loaded at the time, did not cause any delays and was soon moved from the road.