A collision involving a car and a truck on Highway 15 south near the Cote St Luc Rd. exit caused southbound traffic to grind to a halt Tuesday afternoon.

Surete de Quebec spokesperson Ronald McInnis said the car burst into flames after the crash, which happened at about 4 p.m.

Highway 15 was closed in both directions between Queen Mary Rd. and Cote St. Luc. but Decarie north reopened in about an hour. Southbound opened one lane in the evening and opened completely hours later. Ten fire engines were sent to the site to douse the blaze. It took some time to clear the vehicles involved and clean up the area.

There were no injuries reported.

The Montreal fire department confirmed that there were no hazardous materials on board the truck. Environmental experts nevertheless verified the scene before determining the vehicles could be safely towed away.


photo: Omar Riaz

A massive plume of thick, dark smoke could be seen from a distance.

A traffic jam quickly built up on the Decarie Expressway and Decarie Blvd. as drivers were stuck in their cars, many getting out of their vehicles to watch the flames.

Here are some of the photos and videos posted to social media:


photo: Elize Cucca