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Motorists faced long delays on sections of the M25 and M26 after a Tesco lorry burst into flames following a crash.
Dashcam footage showed fire engulfing the truck and a plume of smoke rising into the sky.
The incident happened on the clockwise route between Clacket Lane service station and junction 6 near Godstone, Surrey, at around 10pm BST on Sunday evening.
The truck driver escaped with minor injuries after the accident, according to police, but the incident caused large-scale disruption for drivers, even during the Monday morning rush hour.
The National Highways Agency said the closure of the M25 clockwise between junction five near Sevenoaks and junction six near Godstone was likely to remain in place throughout Monday.
Meanwhile, traffic on the M26 westbound between junction 2A near Wrotham Heath and the M25/A21 has also been diverted.
Six fire crews, South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) and officers from Surrey Police attended the scene.
The National Highways Agency said a separate incident closing the east tunnel at Dartford meant the M26 bypass was “severely congested”.
A spokeswoman for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said shortly after 07:00 BST on Monday that there was still one engine at the scene.
She said: “Crews are currently removing hot spots.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the staff and partners who participated in tackling this fire.”
Surrey Police said: “The M25 remains affected in both directions between J5 and J6.
“The anti-clockwise direction has been reopened, but lanes 3 and 4 (of 4) remain closed at J6.”
The National Highways added that specialized recovery would be necessary and that the road surface would probably have to be resurfaced.
A Secamb spokesman said: “Secamb was called at 10.20pm last night to reports of a fire on the M25 between Clacket Lane and Junction 6 involving a lorry.
“Crews assessed one patient with minor injuries, who was released at the scene.”
