Commuters taking Highway 401 near Toronto this morning were met with a wall of traffic unimaginably worse than the usual rush hour mess after a horrific accident led to an explosion and the resulting full closure of the ever-bustling thoroughfare.

Two people died in the collision, which took place near the Brock Road exit in Pickering shortly before 11 p.m. Monday night.

Major incident: 401 eastbound at Brock Road in Pickering. Large tanker fire with multiple other vehicles involved. @OPP_GTATraffic officers being requested to assist from multiple divisions in the area. pic.twitter.com/TNsNrCOZDy

— Andrew Collins (@ACollinsPhoto) June 21, 2023

Toronto OPP are calling it "a significant incident" involving multiple transport trucks, audible explosions and "out-of-control" infernos that burned on for hours, even sparking eruptions in nearby sewers due to fuel leaking from the first tanker that lost control.

Heavy delays racked several kilometres of roads around the site throughout the night and into this morning, with multiple exits in both directions completely shut down.

Two tractor-trailers and a passenger vehicle were involved.

Update. -Significant incident #Hwy401/Brock Rd Ajax. Highway closures in place between Westney and Whites. Updates to follow. One confirmed fatality #TorontoOPP pic.twitter.com/XyapKGMyzQ

— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) June 21, 2023

Ajax and Pickering residents were asked to close their windows due to the potentially hazardous smoke emanating from the scene, while motorists have been advised to continue to avoid the area at all costs.

Pickering 401 Crash....🙏 pic.twitter.com/AyDUuJCgAC

— MarioV (@MarioV416) June 21, 2023

Shocking videos are circulating on social media in the wake of the catastrophe, some of them showing the chaotic aftermath from the sidelines and others depicting the exact moment the tragedy took place from dangerously close behind it.

In the dead of night, the freeway better resembled the set of an action movie than real life as an enormous fireball burst into the sky and multiple lanes were quickly engulfed in flames.

I’ve driven this stretch of the 401 thousands of times over the years and just can not imagine how this could have occurred.

— Godzilla (@Son_of_Godzilla) June 21, 2023

As of the time of publication, traffic is still extremely backed up all around Durham Region, including on residential side streets as the Brock Road ramp remains shuttered.

Authorities are now saying that a stretch of the arterial route may remain blocked off for days to complete repairs.