A MASSIVE blaze which engulfed a lorry on the A3(M) last night ‘sounded like a bomb going off’ according to nearby residents.
Thankfully no-one was injured but the vehicle was completely destroyed in the blaze, which took nearly five hours to extinguish.
Overheated brakes have been blamed for the cause of the fire, which started close to midnight on the southbound carriageway a few hundred yards south of Junction One.
More than 20 firefighters took part in the operation while engines from Horndean, Petersfield, Waterlooville and Alresford were all deployed.
A water vehicle from Fareham was also sent while firefighters using breathing apparatus used two hose reel jets, two main jets and environmental equipment to dowse the fierce flames.
The stop message came through at 4.41am while the motorway was closed between Junction Two and the Clanfield and Chalton exit on the A3 for several hours as a result of the incident.
Dramatic pictures of the blaze were posted online by numerous villagers during the early hours while the noise, smell and heat of the operation woke many residents up.
“Literally sounds like huge bombs going off in the Horndean area, loads of sirens going past too – this doesn’t sound good at all,” posted one Twitter user just after midnight.
Another wrote: “Can smell smoke and fumes now – orange sky near Horndean looking towards Clanfield.”
The fire was arguably the biggest to take place in the Horndean area since a large barn near the same section of A3(M) went up in flames in July 2014.
The barn contained 152 bales of hay with the finger being pointed at arsonists for the cause of the blaze.
More in tomorrow’s Horndean Post.