Traffic remains limited to one lane for vehicles heading west on the Kansas Turnpike about a mile west of the Kmart Distribution Center in Lawrence, officials said, as crews clean up after a meat truck caught fire there early Tuesday morning.

Shortly before 3:45 a.m. Tuesday, officials said, a 2007 International truck’s brakes caught fire, a tire blew out and the vehicle came to a stop near mile marker 201, about a mile west of the Exit 202 interchange.

The vehicle, a meat truck filled with hams, then became “fully engulfed with flames,” according to the accident report released by the Kansas Turnpike Authority.

The truck’s driver was not injured.

Emergency crews had shut down traffic in the area for a short time, as they battled the blaze. Soon, traffic flow was restored, using only one lane for traffic heading west.

Officials said they expect both lanes to be open late Tuesday afternoon or early evening, once all debris from the fire had been cleaned up.

Traffic already has been restricted in the area, because of construction related to a new Kansas River bridge being built to the east. The lane restriction for traffic heading west was extended about 1,000 feet to the west, to accommodate where the fire occurred.

Check back at LJWorld.com for more information on this incident as it becomes available.