There was chaos on the region's motorways on Tuesday evening, with two vehicles bursting into flames and a BMW crash leaving a man seriously injured.
Emergency services were called out to two separate stretches of both the M6 and M60 on Tuesday (February 14) within minutes of each other. Both incidents caused the carriageways to be closed off for a number of hours, with an air ambulance also landing near to one of the scenes.
The first incident saw a huge emergency services response to a collision on the M6 near Wigan. An air ambulance was also scrambled to the scene after a BMW collided with the central reservation.
Fire crews and police, as well as paramedics, attended the incident at around 5.10pm, at Junction 26, heading northbound around Orrell. The motorway was completely closed in both directions due to the severity of the incident, with the boot of the car also setting alight.
The driver, a man, was rushed to hospital from the scene with serious injuries. Police are continuing to appeal for information and witnesses.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "At around 5.10pm, Air Ambulance, NWMPG and Merseyside Police officers were called to Junction 26 northbound (Orrell) to reports of a single vehicle RTC, involving a BMW in collision with the central reservation.
"The male driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The M6 remains closed northbound between Junction 26 and Junction 27 (Gathurst) while an investigation is underway. This is likely to be closed until around 8pm."
Traffic cameras showed miles of congestion building following the closure, which remained in place before reopening shortly before 10pm.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, fire crews attended the scene of another vehicle blaze at around 5pm. A car had burst into flames on the M60, causing severe rush hour delays of over an hour as emergency services dealt with the incident involving a vehicle which had pulled over onto on the hard shoulder.
Three lanes remained closed late into the night for recovery work following the fire, which broke out on the clockwise carriageway between Junctions 14 and 15 near Bolton. The Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said there were no reports of injuries.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “Just after 5pm on Tuesday 14 February, fire crews were called to reports of a vehicle fire on the M60 clockwise between junctions 14 and 15.
“Three fire engines from Stretford, Whitefield and Farnworth fire stations quickly attended the incident. Firefighters used one hose reel to extinguish the fire and helped make the area safe. GMFRS crews were in attendance for about an hour.”
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