E17 Near Lokeren Reopens After Truck Fire, Repairs in August
The E17 highway near Lokeren in East Flanders fully reopened on Friday morning after a dramatic truck fire forced a nearly 12-hour closure, causing massive traffic disruption and leaving dozens of truck drivers stranded overnight. Full resurfacing of the damaged road section is scheduled for late August.
The Incident
The accident occurred shortly before 19:00 local time on Thursday, July 23, when a truck carrying watermelons suffered a blowout while driving in the middle lane toward Antwerp. According to VRT NWS, the driver lost control and crashed into the central reservation, rupturing the fuel tank. Diesel spread across the roadway and ignited, sending a large plume of black smoke into the evening sky.
The driver managed to escape the cab in time and was uninjured, though in shock. The cargo of watermelons was completely destroyed in the blaze.
12-Hour Closure and Stranded Drivers
The fire and subsequent recovery operations forced a complete closure of the E17 in the direction of Antwerp. The timing was particularly disruptive as it coincided with the end of the Gentse Feesten (Ghent Festivities), one of Belgium’s largest annual cultural events, meaning a high volume of returning traffic was caught in the jam.
Approximately 4 kilometers of vehicles were stranded across three lanes. Among them, around 3 kilometers of trucks were parked on the hard shoulder, their drivers forced by European Union regulations to complete mandatory 11-hour rest periods before they could move.
Peter Bruyninckx of the Flemish Traffic Center (Vlaams Verkeerscentrum) explained the situation: “Over a distance of 3 kilometers, trucks are parked on the hard shoulder.” Police had to wake the stranded drivers on Friday morning and escort them off the highway after their rest periods concluded.
Frederic Keymeulen of the Flemish Transport Federation highlighted the regulatory dilemma: “Compliance with those driving and rest times is strictly monitored, so you can’t shorten them without good reason. Suppose some of those drivers have to undergo an inspection next week and have no proof, that could lead to a fine of 1,500 euros.”
Road Surface Assessment
Once the wreckage was cleared and the road surface cleaned, authorities assessed the damage. Yanick Lathuy of the Agency for Roads and Traffic East Flanders (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer Oost-Vlaanderen) described the damage as superficial: “The potholes in the road surface are rather superficial, so it seemed safe enough to drive over. The section will be placed under increased monitoring and will likely get a new top layer at the end of August.”
The highway fully reopened around 06:40 local time on Friday, July 24, after nearly 12 hours of closure.
Human Interest: Impromptu Highway Concert
Amid the disruption, a heartwarming story emerged. Geert van Hoof, a singer and guitarist from Pelt who had just performed at the Gentse Feesten, found himself stuck in the traffic jam with his guitar still in the car. Once he confirmed on the radio that the truck driver was safe, he set up an impromptu concert from the trunk of his car.
“I wasn’t at ease until I actually heard the news on the radio that the truck driver was okay,” van Hoof told VRT NWS. “Only then did I know: ‘Okay, now it’s possible.’ Otherwise I wouldn’t have wanted to do it.”
A former police officer, van Hoof performed sing-along classics including ‘That’s All Right’ and ‘Baila Baila’ — the latter with help from his grandson. “I actually wanted to turn something negative into something positive,” he said. “What else do you do when you’re stuck in traffic for hours?”
Looking Ahead
The E17 is a major European freight corridor connecting the port of Antwerp with Ghent and onward to France. While the road surface has been deemed safe for traffic under increased monitoring, the full resurfacing of the top layer is not expected until late August. In the meantime, motorists are advised to remain attentive on the affected section near Lokeren.
The incident has also reignited discussions about the intersection of EU rest-time regulations and unexpected road closures, with transport federations calling for clearer protocols to protect drivers from potential fines in such exceptional circumstances.