A motorist has escaped injury after their car burst into flames on the N18 near Bunratty this afternoon.
The incident occurred at around 4.25pm in the northbound carriageway at Clonmoney. The driver managed to pull safely into the hard shoulder before exiting the vehicle without being harmed.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon and Ennis stations responded to the incident along with National Ambulance Service paramedics and GardaÃ.
The dual-carriageway was closed just north of Bunratty while emergency services dealt with the incident. Traffic in the southbound lanes was forced to slow down as smoke billowed across the roadway.
Fire crews implemented an emergency traffic managements system and get vehicles moving again via lane 2.
In the meantime, the driver was assessed by paramedics but was found not to have been injured.
Efforts are now underway to recover the burned out vehicle from the scene before the N18 can be fully reopened.