Why did a burning pear lorry close the E313 towards Antwerp?
A lorry carrying pears caught fire on the Antwerp-bound E313 near Paal in Beringen on 11 August, temporarily closing this important Belgian route before the carriageway fully reopened at around 15:30.
The temporary closure interrupted a key commuter and freight corridor and displaced traffic onto local roads. Although nobody was hurt, the incident illustrates how an isolated vehicle fire can quickly produce wider disruption on a heavily used motorway.
A lorry carrying pears caught fire on the near the exit in on Tuesday afternoon, 11 August, forcing the Belgian authorities to close the motorway towards while firefighters tackled the vehicle and a small verge fire. The driver escaped unharmed, and the road was fully open again at around 15:30. This was a Flemish emergency and traffic-management operation involving the South-West fire zone and the road authorities; no EU institution was involved, despite the E313 forming part of Belgium’s wider cross-border road network.
The incident mattered immediately to drivers and transport companies using the main road between and . reported that congestion stretched back towards , while diverted vehicles added pressure to roads between and . Traffic heading for in the opposite direction was not reported closed. That distinction is important: descriptions of the as the Antwerp–Liège motorway identify the corridor, but the fire disrupted the Antwerp-bound carriageway at Paal.
According to Gretel Kerkhofs, spokesperson for the South-West emergency zone, a tyre blowout started the fire, which then spread rapidly across the lorry. The driver managed to pull onto the hard shoulder, alert the emergency services and reach safety. reported that the flames consumed both the vehicle and its load of pears, while heat and burning material also ignited vegetation beside the motorway. Thick black smoke, attributed in local coverage to components including fuel, tyres and the engine, was visible from the surrounding area.
Firefighters from South-West attended with reinforcement from neighbouring stations. reported that crews also approached the blaze from a side road near Zwanenbergstraat, allowing them to attack the flames from beyond the carriageway. Onlookers gathered on nearby bridges, but the available reporting does not indicate that residents were evacuated or that the smoke prompted a wider public-health warning.
The motorway was initially closed completely towards . Reporting cited by the agricultural trade publication AGF said the full closure lasted about an hour and a half, after which one lane reopened. Recovery crews then faced the slower work of removing the burnt-out vehicle and scattered cargo. The fire zone warned through that there was “much work” involved in clearing the lorry, explaining why disruption continued after the flames had been brought under control.
Two institutional perspectives help explain the response. For the South-West fire zone, the priorities were the driver’s safety, extinguishing a rapidly developing vehicle fire and stopping its spread into dry roadside vegetation. For the and the Roads and Traffic Agency, the same incident was a network problem on a corridor prone to knock-on congestion: lanes could only reopen once emergency operations and recovery made them safe. These are different operational emphases rather than a dispute over the facts.
The connects with Hasselt and traffic continuing towards , while also feeding the Antwerp ring and the port region. research has long identified recurrent congestion and a particular risk from unexpected queues on sections of the route. A short closure near can therefore affect commuters, local roads and freight schedules well beyond the immediate scene, even when nobody is injured.
No Belgian minister or EU body was reported to have responded, and none would normally be expected to intervene publicly in a localised motorway fire. The relevant Belgian stakeholders were the emergency services, road police, traffic managers, recovery teams, affected hauliers and nearby communities. The remaining uncertainty concerns the precise mechanical chain behind the tyre failure; no public investigation result, operator identity or estimate of the damage has been reported. With the motorway reopened, any further development is likely to concern insurance, vehicle recovery or confirmation of the cause rather than continuing disruption.
Impact
Regional — Congestion extended towards Lummen, and diverted traffic increased pressure on roads between Beringen and Paal. Antwerp-bound freight and commuter journeys were delayed.
Local — The closure directly affected Beringen and Paal, with congestion extending back towards Lummen. Drivers leaving the motorway added traffic to local roads between Beringen and Paal while emergency work continued. Journeys towards Antwerp were delayed first by the complete closure and later by reduced capacity after one lane reopened. The local pressure ended after the motorway was reported fully clear at around 15:30, and no injuries were reported.
What it means for you
The incident created no continuing closure: the Antwerp-bound E313 was reported fully clear at around 15:30 on 11 August 2026. Anyone whose journey was delayed that day should retain travel or delivery records if an employer, customer or carrier requires evidence of disruption. For future trips on this corridor, check live Flemish Traffic Centre information before departure and allow extra time if an incident is reported near Paal or Lummen. During closures, expect diversion traffic and slower journeys on roads around Beringen and Paal.
Opposing perspectives
- South-West Limburg emergency services
The fire zone framed the event principally as an emergency response: protecting the driver, containing a fast-spreading lorry fire, extinguishing burning roadside vegetation and keeping the carriageway closed until crews could work safely.
- Flemish traffic-management authorities
The traffic-management perspective centres on network safety and mobility. A blocked carriageway on the E313 creates unexpected queues, freight delays and spillover onto local roads, but reopening must wait until firefighting and recovery operations make the route safe.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Destination direction of the affected E313 carriageway.
City linked to Antwerp by the wider E313 corridor.
Belgian province containing Beringen and Paal.
Motorway where the lorry fire and Antwerp-bound closure occurred.
Part of Beringen near the motorway exit where the fire occurred.
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Motorway where the lorry fire and Antwerp-bound closure occurred.
Destination direction of the affected E313 carriageway.
Part of Beringen near the motorway exit where the fire occurred.
City linked to Antwerp by the wider E313 corridor.
Belgian province containing Beringen and Paal.
Limburg city containing Paal and the site of the incident.
Area towards which congestion extended during the closure.
Vehicle fire on 11 August 2026 that temporarily closed the motorway towards Antwerp.
News outlet cited as a source for the incident.
Regional broadcaster cited as a source for the fire and closure.
Newspaper cited as a source for the incident.
Local news outlet cited as a source for the Beringen closure.
Flemish road-traffic authority cited for contextual information about the E313 corridor.
Sources & evidence
- View source7sur7Primaryprimary· 7sur7.be· 11 August 2026Retrieved 25 August 2026· 52 days ago· Dated
- View sourceTV Limburgcorroborating· tvl.be· 11 August 2026Retrieved 25 August 2026· 52 days ago· Dated
- View sourceHet Nieuwsbladcorroborating· nieuwsblad.be· 11 August 2026Retrieved 25 August 2026· 52 days ago· Dated
- View sourceInternetgazet Beringencorroborating· internetgazet.be· 11 August 2026Retrieved 25 August 2026· 52 days ago· Dated
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.