Eight vehicles collide on Poland's DK78 bypass near Poręba after truck fire
A multi-vehicle crash involving four trucks and four passenger cars closed the DK78 bypass near Poręba in southern Poland on Wednesday after smoke from a burning trailer obscured the roadway.
Initial trailer fire and visibility hazard
The emergency began on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, before 14:00 on the national road DK78 along the bypass section connecting Zawiercie and Poręba in the Silesian Voivodeship. A commercial truck trailer caught fire while traveling in the direction of Szczekociny, producing heavy flames and dense plumes of black smoke that drifted over the highway. The smoke caused an immediate loss of visibility for drivers travelling in both directions. Firefighters were dispatched to suppress the blaze, working for several dozen minutes to bring the fire under control before the flames could spread to the tractor unit.
Chain-reaction collision at kilometer 113
As traffic formed a queue behind the firefighting operation, a secondary crash took place approximately one kilometer further along the route at the 113th kilometer marker. Early police assessments indicated that five vehicles were involved, but emergency responders subsequently established that eight vehicles had crashed in a sequence of impacts. The collision involved four heavy goods vehicles and four passenger cars, one of which was a passenger minibus. According to the fire service, two trucks collided heavily, trapping and severely damaging a passenger vehicle between them while other cars sustained minor impacts.
- Truck trailer catches fire on DK78 bypass toward Szczekociny, generating heavy smoke
- Eight vehicles collide one kilometer from the fire scene at kilometer 113
- Crews extricate trapped driver using hydraulic tools and transport four injured to hospital
- Police close DK78 bypass in both directions and redirect traffic through Poręba
Rescue operations and casualty reports
Captain Grzegorz Nowak, press officer for the State Fire Service in Zawiercie, described the sudden escalation that confronted emergency crews as the initial fire was brought under control:
The situation with the trailer fire was brought under control and our actions on that section came to an end. At that moment, however, a collision occurred one kilometer away, which ultimately involved as many as eight vehicles: four trucks and four passenger cars, including a bus.
Firefighters used hydraulic rescue equipment to free a driver pinned inside the crushed cabin of one of the heavy trucks.
In the initial phase of the rescue operation, we had information about a person trapped in a heavy goods vehicle. The victim was extracted using hydraulic equipment and immediately handed over to the Emergency Medical Team.
Medical teams transported four injured individuals to nearby hospitals. Sourced casualty figures differed during the response. Broadcaster RMF FM reported that two people had died in the crash, whereas earlier regional television coverage cited police mentioning one fatality. At the time of reporting, emergency services had not officially confirmed any deaths to the Polish Press Agency (PAP).
- Heavy goods vehicles
- 4 vehicles
- Passenger cars and vans
- 4 vehicles
Road closures and regional traffic detours
A response force of 14 fire brigade units operated at the site, including a specialized technical rescue group sent from Dąbrowa Górnicza, working alongside police patrols and emergency medical teams. On-site technical and investigative activities took place under the supervision of a prosecutor. Authorities shut the Zawiercie and Poręba bypass completely in both directions, redirecting all traffic onto the old DK78 corridor through the town of Poręba. Emergency officials estimated that the closure would persist for several hours while recovery teams cleared the wreckage and secured the roadway.
