No injuries reported after truck hauling auto parts caught fire on the Ambassador Bridge

Fire crews responded to a transport truck fire on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.

The front of vehicle was seen in flames on Friday afternoon and there was heavy smoke. Windsor Fire responded to the blaze, and around 3:30 p.m., the truck was removed from the bridge. 

Windsor Fire and Rescue Services confirmed the driver wasn't injured in the blaze. 

John Smith, acting chief fire prevention officer, says the truck was hauling auto parts and headed into Canada. 

Smith said fire crews left the scene around 3:15 p.m. and the bridge company is now working on cleanup.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told CBC the incident occurred on the Canadian side of the bridge and said CBP officials were told that no hazardous materials were involved. 

The Ambassador Bridge company said in a statement that emergency protocols were "promptly followed, ensuring the area was quickly secured and further incidents were prevented."

"We would like to extend our sincere gratitude and recognition to the combined efforts of the Ambassador
Bridge team and the Windsor fire department," the statement read.

"Their swift response and excellent teamwork played a crucial role in bringing the situation under control, ensuring the safety of our customers and the local community."

Katie Allanson witnessed the blaze when she was travelling home to Windsor from work in the United States. She passed the fire in her car before emergency services were on scene. 

"When I got close, I could see the smoke from what looked like a semi tractor several vehicles ahead of me. But when I got close to him I could see the fire and the entire cab was engulfed," Allanson said, noting she could see a person she believed to be the driver standing outside the truck.

"It was quite a bit of heat coming off of the cab, even just passing him with my window up, and by the time I got down through customs I could see the emergency vehicles coming up."

She says she's never seen a fire like that in the middle of the bridge in her 21 years of crossing the border for work. 

"I saw at least three fire trucks on my way in towards LaSalle, on Huron Church there were three coming that way," Allanson said. "I knew it would be taken care of and when I got to where I was going. I could see the smoke was less so I would have imagined they had it under control."

CPB reported no delay entering the United States through the Ambassador Bridge port of entry.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) border wait time website for the Ambassador Bridge showed delays of about 35 minutes as of 5:30 p.m.

CBSA reported delays of about  45 minutes in both directions at the tunnel as of 5 p.m.

Tal Czudner, CEO of the Windsor Detroit Tunnel Corporation, said CBSA and CBP are all "working together" to get people moving. 

"They've added some booths to assist in the safe and efficient movement of people," Czudner said.