The M18 motorway was closed for a time this morning after a car burst into flames near Crusheen.
The incident occurred at around 8.40am in the southbound carriageway near Ballyline between Crusheen and Barefield.
It’s understood that a man was driving to work he noticed smoke entering the cab of his car through the footwell. The driver managed to pull his vehicle into the hard-shoulder and exit safely before the car burst into flames.
Emergency services were alerted and units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis and Shannon stations responded to the scene along with Gardaí.
Crews from Galway Fire and Rescue Service from Gort station were also requested to attend. It’s understood it was originally thought the incident was closer to Gort.
The motorway was closed while fire crews dealt with the blaze. The car was completely destroyed, however the driver was uninjured.
Once the fire had been extinguished, fire crews implemented an emergency traffic management system and were able to reopen one lane of the motorway. When the car had been recovered and debris cleared from the roadway, the M18 was fully reopened.
Traffic Infrastructure Ireland (TII) motorway maintenance crews also attended the scene and inspected the road surface for damage.
Meanwhile, fire crews from Shannon had to leave the scene after they were requested to attend another incident on the M18.