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| M1 motorway closed near East Midlands Airport after lorry fire | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| The M1 north near East Midlands Airport remains closed after a lorry fire in rush hour. | |
| The northbound carriageway in Leicestershire was closed from about 8:30 BST on Thursday and it is not known when it will reopen. | |
| The blaze was so ferocious it damaged tarmac and safety barriers forcing the Highways Agency to carry out repairs. | |
| It is believed the cause was an electrical fault in the lorry's engine. Nobody was injured in the fire. | |
| Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, with the police, closed the motorway between junction 22 to Coalville, and junction 23a to East Midlands Airport with a 20-mile diversion in place. | |
| Firefighters remained at the scene for most of the day putting out the lorry, which was carrying mattresses, before helping with recovery work. | |
| Drivers who were caught in traffic behind the fire were forced to wait on the tarmac for several hours before firefighters opened one lane at about noon. | |
| But shortly afterwards it was closed again to allow for an inspection of the damage to the road. | |
| The fire also caused severe delays on the southbound carriageway as drivers stopped to look at the accident. | |
| East Midlands Airport said the fire did not affect any flights. | East Midlands Airport said the fire did not affect any flights. |