One of Oxfordshire's busiest roads was closed for two hours yesterday morning after three gas canisters exploded in a Transit van and set it on fire.
The accident happened at about 8.30am at a layby on the northbound A34 between Abingdon and Hinksey Hill, Oxford. The male driver escaped unhurt and there were no other casualties.
Three liquid petroleum gas canisters exploded in the van, which also contained cylinders of nitrogen and refrigerant gas.
Both carriageways were closed for two hours, causing long tailbacks, while firefighters tackled the blaze.
Mat Carlile, the fire officer in charge of the incident, said firefighters sprayed the fire with water from 150 metres away to control it.
He said: "Drivers were close enough to be a serious risk, which is why we closed the road. We used infra-red thermometers to tell how hot the cylinders were before we recovered the van and reopened the road."
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