Thousands of drivers were stuck in heavy traffic this morning after a truck caught fire on the AP-7 near Cerdanyola del Vallès. Southbound lanes were nearly at a standstill, with tailbacks stretching 13 kilometres and disrupting other basic roads around Barcelona. The fire started just after 6:20 a.m., leaving only one lane open as firefighters worked to put out the flames and contain the blaze.
The disruption quickly spread beyond the AP-7. Commuters on the B-30 and C-58 faced long delays, with traffic jams from Mollet del Vallès to Badia del Vallès and Sant Cugat del Vallès, as well as farther north between the Trinitat interchange and Ripollet. The Servei Català de Trànsit advised drivers to take the C-58 or B-40, with the A-2 also available as an alternative, but emergency crews kept the basic highway blocked. By 7:30 a.m., the southbound queue had reached approximately 14 kilometres, while the B-30 corridor had at least 10 kilometres of congestion between Sant Cugat del Vallès and Badia del Vallès.
Four fire units responded at kilometre 151.2 of the AP-7. The truck’s cab was already destroyed, and the fire had spread to the trailer carrying frozen goods. The Servei Català de Trànsit said all three lanes were closed around 7:00 a.m. Only one lane reopened about half an hour later, allowing some traffic to move again. The fire’s size forced authorities to keep access restricted, worsening the morning commute for drivers heading toward Tarragona and beyond.
Barcelona was also affected. The Guardia Urbana closed all entrances to the Ronda Litoral at Morrot de Montjuïc to remove another damaged truck, which had blocked the road since 8 a.m. By 9 a.m., traffic on the Ronda Litoral was backed up for 9.5 kilometres, reaching as far as Sant Adrià de Besòs. Only exit ramps remained open to ease pressure on the city’s ring road.
The AP-7 remains one of Catalonia’s most congested highways. A localized emergency can quickly paralyze several corridors, including the B-30 and approaches to Barcelona. The events of September 3, 2026, reported by La Vanguardia and Servei Català de Trànsit, highlighted this vulnerability.
For drivers, the morning showed how a single accident can bring the region’s basic transport routes to a halt. The AP-7 is impressive for both local and long-distance traffic, and its vulnerability to disruption has been seen before, including during the earlier breakdown of Spain’s traffic management protocols.
As emergency services worked to clear the scene, the impact was immediate: lost time and missed appointments, with businesses also facing problems as they waited for deliveries. A truck carrying frozen goods caused widespread disruption and exposed the strain on Catalonia’s road network. Alternative routes were quickly overwhelmed, while city roads such as the Ronda Litoral were partly closed. The events renewed calls for better traffic management and a faster emergency response. Until these issues are addressed, even routine accidents can cause major delays for residents and commuters, as well as the local economy.
