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Snow Squalls Trigger 50-Vehicle Crashes, Closing Westbound Highway 401 Near Trenton

Authorities are directing traffic via detours with a Trenton warming centre sheltering stranded drivers.

A fire and smoke billows from the scene of a collision on Highway 401 in Trenton, Ont. Police say multiple collisions have occurred on the stretch of the road due to deteriorating weather conditions.
Here's the reason for the westbound 401 closure at Palace Road near Napanee on Jan. 27, 2026. The Ontario Provincial Police are asking drivers to slow down as road conditions become slippery.
Series of multi-vehicle collisions shut down parts of Highway 401 in Ontario, Canada. Credit: Quinte West Fire/John Whelan
Trucks drive on Highway 401 in the aftermath of a snowstorm in Kingston last February. Tuesday's snow squalls are again hitting this highway.

Overview

  • Ontario Provincial Police reported multiple collisions involving about 50 vehicles near Glen Miller and Wallbridge Loyalist roads, forcing lengthy closures and detours.
  • Quinte West Fire Chief John Whelan said no fatalities occurred and roughly five people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
  • A tractor-trailer caught fire in one pile-up and was extinguished, and officials said involved transport loads were non-hazardous, including spinach and cheese.
  • An Emergency Detour Route is in effect, tow and investigation work is ongoing, and buses are moving motorists to the warming centre at Trenton Arena.
  • Separately, a crash involving two transport trucks closed westbound Highway 401 near Odessa as Environment Canada snow squall warnings kept travel hazardous in the region.