Some Fort Erie-bound lanes of the Queen Elizabeth Way have reopened in Grimsby after a tractor-trailer caught fire earlier this morning.

Police say they were first called to the QEW between Bartlett Avenue and Christie Street for a report of a vehicle fire at around 9:30 a.m.

When crews arrived on scene, they found a tractor-trailer fully engulfed in flames.

The truck, police say, was carrying 9,000 pounds of empty plastic bottles.

"The vehicle was in motion when smoke and flames were seen,"  OPP Const. Roberto Visconti told CP24.

"The driver quickly pulled over to the right shoulder and got out of the vehicle." 

No injuries were reported.

Crews on scene worked to extinguish the blaze, dumping more than 60,000 gallons of water on it.

Some anxious hockey fans are hoping the crash is cleared up in time for them to get to the USA vs. Canada World Junior Outdoor Game in Buffalo at 3 p.m.

Andy Munroe, who is heading to the game this afternoon, said he is one of many fans caught in the traffic backlog.

“Most of the people have their cars in park. We’ve seen people getting out of their cars in Canada jerseys,” he said.

“We are big Canada fans. We’ve been watching the World Juniors ever since we’ve been kids. It’s such a big part of Canadian culture so the idea that we might miss the game is a little overwhelming.”

The pavement of the highway was damaged as a result of the fire, Visconti said, and road resurfacing work will need to be done before the highway can fully reopen.

"If you heading down to Buffalo… be patient," he said. "We are getting the road open as quickly as we can." 

It appears at least a few fans missed part of the game due to the delay, as all lanes did not re-open until 4 p.m.