10 kilometer traffic jam

Burning fruit gums paralyzed the Westautobahn

The trailer of a truck was on fire Wednesday morning.

(Bild: TEAM FOTOKERSCHI / WERNER KERSCHBAUMMAYR, Krone KREATIV)

Traffic gridlock on the Westautobahn: Due to a burning truck trailer, the road in the direction of Vienna near Ebelsberg in Upper Austria was completely closed at times on Wednesday morning. The traffic jam was still ten kilometers long at midday. The cause was probably a load that would otherwise have brought a lot of joy: Fruit gums.

At around 8.45 a.m. on Wednesday, the trailer of a truck caught fire on the A1 near Ebelsberger Berg. The driver was able to uncouple the tractor unit in time to prevent the fire from spreading to the driver's cab. However, this did not prevent a real traffic collapse.

Between 9 a.m. and 9.30 a.m., the Westautobahn was completely closed in the direction of Vienna. "One lane has been free again since 9.30 a.m.," says ÖAMTC spokesman Harald Lasser to "Krone".

Ten kilometers of traffic jam
Several kilometers of traffic jam were the result. At midday, the length of the tailback was still around ten kilometers. "Anyone who can should avoid the route now," said Lasser during the obstruction. "Otherwise, you can expect delays of at least an hour."

There were also repeated minor traffic delays in the opposite direction due to onlookers.

Difficult work
The clean-up work proved to be difficult: the truck had apparently been carrying fruit gums, some of which had melted on the road. The sweet cargo had to be reloaded and the truck had to be towed away. The work was still underway at midday.