A driver who was on the M5 at the time a car transporter caught fire earlier this morning said he saw "sparks flying across all three lanes".
The incident, which involved a car transporter and nine electric cars, was reported to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue shortly after 6.30am today (Wednesday, October 1).
The M5 was closed in both directions initially, between J28 (for Cullompton) and J29 (for Exeter), as emergency services, including the police, fire service and ambulance, with the northbound carriageway reopening later in the morning.
Jake Short was driving along the M5 heading southbound when he saw a "puff of smoke" around the corner before seeing the incident in front of him.
Jake, from Taunton, was driving to Plymouth and said he was trapped on the M5 for nearly three hours.
He said: "I saw a puff of smoke in the distance, I thought it could have been from a warehouse.
"I came around the bend and saw the fire, there was big black smoke going up 40ft into the air.
"Traffic came to a halt and it looked like the electric vehicles were going to explode.
"I saw sparks flying across all three lanes of the M5, I was stuck near the front of the traffic for nearly three hours."
Police officers warned motorists stuck on the M5 not to leave their vehicles for safety reasons.
Jake said that after several hours, the trapped traffic was slowly released, passing around the fire at a reduced speed of 40 miles an hour.
The M5 southbound remains closed at the time of writing due to recovery and clean-up work that needs to take place.
Diversions have been set up by National Highways, however roads in Cullompton became clogged due to the heavy volume of traffic.
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