A61 motorway car fire causes traffic delays in Germany

A 71-year-old driver and her dog escaped uninjured after her Ford S-Max caught fire on the A61 motorway near the Daxweiler junction on Sunday. The driver noticed heavy smoke coming from the engine compartment while traveling through a construction zone and managed to pull onto the hard shoulder before the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames.

Volunteer fire departments from Rheinböllen and Stromberg responded to the scene and brought the fire under control. The incident caused a three-hour closure of the right lane, resulting in traffic congestion stretching up to five kilometers. The vehicle was a total loss, with estimated damages of approximately 8,000 euros.