According to Volksfreund.de, the incident occurred on the A64 between the Trier and Trier-Ehrang junctions.
Police identified a technical defect as the the cause of the fire. Once the vehicle had caught fire, it rapidly burned out. The driver immediately stopped her car on the emergency lane. First responders helped her save three of her four sled dogs that were also inside the burning vehicle. One of the dogs sadly did not survive the fire. The driver was under shock and treated by emergency services.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the flames but the car burned out completely. The high temperatures also damaged the asphalt layer under the vehicle.
The motorway was closed to traffic in direction of Trier-Ehrang; long tailbacks ensued. The lane is expected to remain closed until 6pm.
