Nine people have been taken to hospital after approximately 20 vehicles were involved in pileups on Highway 401 near Napanee, Ont. Wednesday morning.
Strong winds blew snow across the highway, making roads slippery and visibility minimal near the Centre Street and Deseronto Road exits, causing vehicles to spin into a pileup.
"We did have one tractor-trailer that was on fire as a result of the crash," Greater Napanee Fire Chief Terry Gervais told CTV Toronto. "That was our first concern once we got there, to put the fire out."
So far nine have been taken to hospital, several of whom had to be extricated from their vehicles first.
"We had three people that were trapped in two separate vehicles -- one in a transport truck and two in a car," Gervais said, but everyone was freed, and he said he wasn't aware of any serious injuries.
The crash scene spread over an approximately half-kilometre stretch of the highway, but the impact on traffic extends much further. Gervais said it was difficult for emergency workers just to get to the scene, since traffic was jammed up for approximately 12 kilometres in each direction.
The highway is shut down in both directions as crews try to clear the mess from the slippery stretch of road. The eastbound lanes are expected to be closed into the afternoon because there is so much wreckage on the road.
With files from CTV Toronto's Ashley Rowe
