Some residents in Stone this morning were rudely awakened by explosions following a lorry fire on the northbound M6
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called out to deal with the lorry blaze at around 5:13am with three fire engines attending from Stafford, Stone and Eccleshall. A further water carrier vehicle came over from Cannock to assist with the fire fighting effort.
The fully alight HGV was located between junction 14 (Stafford) and junction 15 (Stoke-on-Trent) and smoke was being carried across the carriageway towards the surrounding areas.
Fire crews worked to tackle the fire and once it was under control two engines left the scene. The fire appliance from Stafford remained at the scene with the Cannock water carrier vehicle to dampen down the materials and ensure the fire was fully extinguished.
It was initially reported that the load contained tinned dog food, with tins exploding in the fire. However, upon closer inspection it has been established the tins actually contained sports drink powder. The mixed load also contained white goods, malt grain, floor tiles and chocolate eggs.
Firefighters are working in partnership with colleagues from the Highways Agency, who are managing the road closures, carrying out recovery work and assessing the damage to the carriageway. It is expected that the carriageway will remain closed well in to this evenings rush hour so Stone and the surrounding routes will remain congested at peak times.
