Several serious crashes closed sections of Highway 401 in eastern Ontario as snow squalls reduced visibility on Tuesday. There are no reports of serious injuries.
The highway was closed in both directions between Wallbridge Loyalist Road on Belleville's western edge and Glen Miller Road in Trenton for much of the day following collisions involving about 50 vehicles, according to Ontario Provincial Police and the province's transportation ministry.
Stranded motorists were taken by bus to Trenton's Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens arena, police said.
Officials with the City of Quinte West said about a dozen people had sheltered there as of mid-afternoon.
The highway's westbound lanes reopened around 3:15 p.m. Eastbound lanes remain closed between the County Road 30 exit to Brighton and Wallbridge Loyalist Road west of Belleville.
Truck driver rescued trapped woman
Quinte West Fire Chief John Whelan said he could see smoke billowing as he arrived at the first crash scene around 8 a.m.
"The one tractor-trailer was on fire. There was a car ... pinched between the two of them, the female driver couldn't get out and the truck driver smashed the window out with his bare hand — broke his hand, actually — and pulled her to safety," he said in a phone interview from the side of the highway, adding he wants to make sure the man's bravery is recognized.
Whelan described a "very hectic" scene with flames, small explosions and people screaming, calling it the "most serious" incident he's encountered in the past couple of years.
Whelan estimated at least 17 vehicles were involved in that collision, though most of the drivers and passengers involved suffered only minor injuries.
"The other good thing with this incident was we didn't have any hazardous waste to deal with. One tractor-trailer had cheese in it, and the other had packaged spinach," said the chief.
He said four of the department's five stations responded to the crash, and thanked neigbouring fire departments for remaining on standby.
Separate collisions also closed the westbound 401 at Palace Road in Napanee and at Lennox and Addington Road 4 near Odessa until around 2:30 p.m.
Snow squall warnings
Environment Canada earlier issued snow squall warnings from Kingston all the way west to Pickering, Ont.
Two warnings remain in effect: One for an area stretching east along the St. Lawrence River from Kingston to around Cardinal, Ont., and another for the south shore of Prince Edward County.
Both warnings are expected to end later Tuesday. School buses were cancelled again in the county.
The warnings are yellow, the lowest on Environment Canada's three-colour scale.
The broader Kingston area has been pelted again and again by snow in the back half of January. This storm could bring enough to Trenton to top 100 centimetres since Jan. 15.
In both Kingston and in Ottawa, where only flurries are forecast Tuesday, the temperature remains colder than normal: daytime highs around –10 C and overnight lows around –20 C, plus wind chill.
That's expected to continue for the rest of the week.