A blaze shut down a stretch of Highway 401 in Toronto in the early morning hours Friday after a transport truck smashed into a guardrail and erupted in flames.

The OPP Highway Safety Division shared images of the crash's aftermath on Friday morning. The images show a scene of destruction in the westbound lanes of the 401 at Avenue Road, with a transport truck engulfed in flames and a plume of smoke rising above the highway.

Police say that the truck collided with a guide rail in the westbound lanes, resulting in a closure that shut down traffic from 12:30 a.m.

Update: All WB lanes of #Hwy401 from Hwy404 in the process of being reopened.
Transport truck collided with guide rail WB #Hwy401/Avenue Rd. Vehicle caught fire and resulted in the closure of the express lanes from Hwy404 from 12:30am. Driver charged with careless driving. ^ks pic.twitter.com/pbe98MXvVa

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) March 8, 2024

The OPP's Sgt. Kerry Schmidt reports that the truck was loaded with cardboard, which fuelled the flames as firefighters attempted to extinguish the blaze.

Truck fire: Transport truck collided with guide rail WB #Hwy401/Avenue Rd. Vehicle caught fire and resulted in the closure of the express lanes from Hwy404 between 12:30am - 9:30am. Driver charged with careless driving. All lanes have now reopened. ^ks pic.twitter.com/SDUEdjHjqb

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) March 8, 2024

Police charged the truck's operator with careless driving. The 401's westbound lanes were reopened hours later at 9:30 a.m. after an extensive cleanup.