A tractor-trailer full of fish turned into a fireball early Thursday morning, shutting down the Highway 401 express lanes in Pickering for the busy morning commute.

The driver escaped both the collision and the blaze near Whites Road without any serious injuries, Toronto district fire chief Stephan Powell said.

The eastbound lanes reopened by 8:15 a.m., but Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said that the westbound lanes would likely be closed until the early afternoon.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Schmidt tweeted that the westbound express lanes had finally reopened.

Schmidt said the driver of the tractor-trailer now faces a charge of careless driving. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Hwy401 WB express at Whites Rd is reopened —@OPP_HSD

Fire trucks from Toronto and Pickering responded to the blaze, which they learned of around 4 a.m. and Ontario Provincial Police arrived to help manage traffic.

Powell said that the fire broke out in the back of the vehicle.