Overview
- Authorities say the fire ignited on a van at the toll lane, with early reconstructions pointing to an electrical fault that locked the automatic gearbox in park while the driver paid.
- Corriere della Sera reports the driver escaped without injury, and officials have confirmed no casualties among motorists, toll staff, or firefighters.
- Flames spread from the engine bay to the toll structure, whose steel frame and laminated wood cladding suffered severe damage with partial collapses and a smoke plume visible for kilometers.
- Multiple fire crews from Palazzolo, Brescia, Cremona, and Mantova extinguished the blaze after the A21 was closed in both directions to enable emergency operations.
- The Poncarale toll exit is expected to remain shut for several months as investigators assess the site and determine whether the structure must be rebuilt.