Dublin drivers faced major delays this morning after a truck fire on the M50 caused traffic chaos during the morning commute.
The incident happened at the N4 on-ramp onto the M50 southbound at Junction 7, Lucan, where a truck trailer caught fire.
Emergency services attended the scene, with Dublin Fire Brigade bringing the blaze under control. One lane and the merge lane were closed while firefighters dealt with the incident, worsening traffic, followed by a major clean-up and recovery operation.
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At the height of the incident, journey times from the M1/M50 roundabout to the scene reached an estimated 2 hours and 55 minutes.
The traffic disruption also caused significant delays on the N4, with motorists travelling into Dublin facing an additional hour and 15 minutes on their journeys at the height of the incident.
Local roads around Lucan, Chapelizod and Clonee were also affected as drivers attempted to avoid the queues.
The M50's left lane and merge lane were finally reopened shortly after 9am, having been closed for more than three hours.
Approaches to the area remain busy, with the remains of the truck still on the hard shoulder.
Dublin Fire Brigade confirmed that the fire had been dealt with, saying: "Firefighters were called to a truck trailer fire this morning on the M50 at J7 Lucan Southbound. The fire has now been dealt with and we're awaiting recovery."
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The incident added to an already difficult morning for Dublin motorists, with major traffic restrictions also coming into effect as the city hosts two EU Presidency meetings.
North Wall Quay was closed between New Wapping Street and Guild Street from 7am this morning and will remain closed until Friday evening.
There are also no bus services running in the affected area, while Merrion Square West was closed from 7am as part of the security arrangements.
