The westbound lanes on the Gardiner Expressway have reopened after being closed for several hours during the rush hour on Tuesday afternoon due to a fatal collision involving three vehicles.

Toronto police said three dump trucks collided around 2:17 p.m. in the westbound lanes of the Gardiner near Spadina Avenue.

Police stated that a fire broke out in one of the trucks, and the driver was in critical condition following the accident.

Toronto Paramedic Services confirmed that paramedics attempted to resuscitate the injured driver, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Toronto police identified the deceased driver as a man in his fifties.

Toronto Fire said that the fire was quickly contained. The cause of the collision is not yet known.

The accident occurred just before the busy afternoon rush hour.

All westbound lanes on the Gardiner at York Street were closed due to the collision, causing traffic delays for hours. The left lanes reopened just before 6 p.m.

The Jarvis and York westbound ramps to the Gardiner were also closed but have since reopened.

The southbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway at the Bayview/Bloor exit were closed to prevent more trapped drivers. However, the DVP reopened just before 5 p.m.

The impact of the extended closure spread to downtown roads, and the TTC indicated that all of its surface routes in downtown were experiencing significant delays due to the Gardiner collision.

Aerial images showed a long line of vehicles stopped on the highway, which was experiencing heavy traffic. At least one stuck vehicle was seen trying to turn around on the busy highway.

Heavy equipment was brought in to remove the dump trucks.