Police shut the A500 in North Staffordshire after a huge blaze in a pallet yard spread to a fireworks factory.
The building contained one ton of fireworks and eye witnesses saw them exploding as the blaze ripped through the two buildings.
All trains also had to be stopped on the West Coast mainline which is near to the two buildings.
The major blaze broke out at the premises in Chemical Lane in Longport at around 8.30pm Friday night.
Fire crews from across North Staffordshire were called in to tackle the flames as police put up a cordon around the yard. Thick black smoke could be seen across the city as firefighters worked to bring the fire under control.
An investigation is now underway in a bid to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire.
A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called out to a large amount of pallets on fire at a pallet factory.
“It subsequently spread to a fireworks factory next door, containing approximately one ton of fireworks.
“We received a lot of calls coming in from surrounding areas.
“We had the area cordoned off and people were advised to stay away.
“We had to have all trains stopped on the WCML due to its proximity to fire”
The fire service used six pumping appliances, from as far away as Rugeley, to tackle the blaze.
Becky Skinner, aged 27, of Alsager, was visiting her gran’s when she saw the flames. She said: “I could see the thick black smoke all the way from Talke and I went to see what all the commotion was.”
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police described the blaze as a 'major incident.'
Some cool footage 
Interesting vids, Kel! 