Full closure and mega traffic jam to Magdeburg
Magdeburg/Uhrsleben – On Wednesday evening at around 3.30 p.m., Autobahn 2 between Eilsleben and the Börde Süd service area had to be completely closed in both directions due to firefighting work. A car transporter loaded with four electric vehicles caught fire near the junction at Uhrsleben (Saxony-Anhalt).
Photo: Matthew Strauss
Blockage in the direction of Hanover lifted after 1.5 hours
Fire brigades from the municipality of Flechtingen fought the flames using respiratory protection with extinguishing foam. The heat development was very strong and the column of smoke could be seen more than 30 kilometers away.
Photo: Matthew Strauss
According to Christoph Karschunke, head of operations at the Uhrsleben fire brigade, the 46-year-old truck driver was traveling in the direction of Magdeburg when he caught fire for reasons that are still unclear. According to the police, the driver noticed smoke developing on the right side of the truck at km 113.
Two vehicles burned out completely
The truck driver reacted with quick-wittedness and was able to bring the vehicle combination to a standstill safely on the hard shoulder, police said on Wednesday evening. He injured his hand slightly and was treated as an outpatient by the arriving rescue workers. According to the police, two vehicles burned out completely due to the rapid spread of the fire. There was significant damage to two other vehicles.
Traffic between Magdeburg and Helmstedt was backed up in both directions for several hours. The detour route via federal highway 1 was also overloaded by the accident. After 1.5 hours, the lane in the direction of Hanover was released again.