Hwy. 401 reopens after deadly tanker crash, explosion in Pickering

Highway 401 has now reopened in both directions in Durham Region after a deadly fiery crash involving a fuel-tanker truck.

The collision involving a fuel-tanker truck, a transport truck and another vehicle, happened around 11 p.m. Tuesday night under the Brock Road overpass near the Pickering-Ajax border. Listen to CityNews 680 for traffic updates LIVE now!

The eastbound 401 express lanes through Pickering remained closed for most of Thursday morning. The highway remained closed in both directions through the morning and afternoon rushes on Wednesday, leading to traffic headaches for GTA west-end commuters.

The westbound lanes were closed between Westney and Liverpool before reopening around 6 a.m. Thursday.

GO Transit says it will be adding extra train service both eastbound and westbound at Whitby on Thursday to help commuters looking to avoid the issues on the highway.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt says the tanker lost control and struck a concrete barrier on the highway, resulting in an explosion and massive fireball that consumed all three vehicles.

The drivers of the tanker and transport were pronounced dead on scene. The two occupants of the passenger vehicle were able to escape the explosion without injury.

As part of the cleanup Wednesday afternoon, crews could be seen in an OPP video removing a large highway light with the assistance of a crane. A follow-up post appeared to show the force of the explosions causing nearby catch basin covers to blow up from the ground.

The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has been assessing the condition of the overpass, road surface and other infrastructure. Provincial police say their own on scene investigation is now complete.