Fiery pileup on Hwy. 401 sends 3 people to hospital

401 lanes reopen after fiery multi-vehicle crash Two transport trucks burst into flames following a serious crash involving several more vehicles on the westbound 401 in Scarborough.

Three people were taken to hospital, one of them with serious injuries, following a seven-vehicle crash on Highway 401 in Scarborough late Thursday.

It happened in the westbound express lanes of Highway 401 near Neilson Road around 10:40 p.m.

One adult was transported to hospital was serious injuries while two others were transported with minor injuries, Toronto Paramedic Services said.

"We're still trying to determine the exact cause of the collision, but what we do know is the chain of events that led to seven car pile up," OPP Sgt. Sami Nasr said. "There was a tractor trailer that rear-ended another tractor trailer. That then caused that second tractor trailer to rear-end the van."

He said the driver of the first tractor trailer was trapped "for an extended period of time" until eventually being extricated by firefighters and taken to hospital.

Images from the scene showed the charred pavement following the intense fire.

All express lanes of the highway were closed for hours, but reopened around 7 a.m.