IPOH: Northbound traffic came to a standstill along KM260.1 of the North-South Expressway near the Menora Tunnel after a container lorry caught fire.

The incident caused both the northbound lanes to be closed to allow the Fire and Rescue Department personnel to extinguish the fire, causing a 3km-long traffic jam.

Meru Raya Fire and Rescue Department operations chief Mohd Fauzi Hashim said the lanes had to be closed at about 7.50am with help from the police.

“We took about 30 minutes to put out the fire.

“At about 8.20am, the right lane of the expressway heading north was reopened,” he said.

He said the lorry transporting mineral water was heading to Sungai Petani from Shah Alam when it caught fire. No one was injured.