A van carrying oxygen tanks caught fire on the A14 Wednesday morning, causing major headaches for motorists across East Anglia throughout the day, authorities said.
The main highway servicing Suffolk and Norfolk, where RAFs Feltwell, Lakenheath and Mildenhall are located, was still closed nearly eight hours after the 8:07 a.m. fire prompted authorities to shut down the highway between junctions 33 and 37.
Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman Lisa Miller said authorities were unsure when the highway would reopen.
The 48th Fighter Wing and 100th Air Refueling Wing public affairs offices were busy Wednesday afternoon alerting airmen of the delays. Scores of airmen live in Cambridge and its surrounding villages, which are roughly 40 minutes from the bases.
Vehicles were diverted onto two-lane highways that soon were clogged. No injuries were reported in the incident, Miller said.