M62 Motorway Closed Following Significant Lorry Fire

A substantial fire involving a lorry transporting sawdust on the M62 in West Yorkshire led to considerable delays for motorists. The blaze, which commenced around 10:20 GMT on Friday and subsequently spread to the adjacent embankment, was described as “substantial” by a National Highways spokesperson. They also confirmed that the lorry driver safely escaped the incident. By Friday evening, the eastbound carriageway remained closed between junction 20, serving Rochdale and Oldham, and junction 24, for Huddersfield and Halifax. Drivers were advised to anticipate delays of approximately 30 minutes. Around 19:00 GMT, a National Highways spokesperson announced on X, formerly Twitter, that the lorry had been recovered and the clean-up operation was “in the final stages.” The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service had previously stated that crews from Slaithwaite, Illingworth, Rastrick, and Halifax fire stations were present at the scene, actively tackling the blaze. Motorists were advised to seek alternative routes, and two lanes of the westbound carriageway were also temporarily closed due to drifting smoke. National Highways, in a post on X, indicated that extra officers had been deployed to turn traffic around, as fire crews were “not happy” to allow vehicles to travel past the scene.