Traffic was delayed at the Crow Lane roundabout as firefighters tackled flaming palm trees last night. Two fire trucks attended the scene after a call was received shortly after 8 p.m. that some palm trees, close to the Crow Lane Bakery, were ablaze.

"The firefighters went to work straight away and brought the fire under control using several hundred gallons of water," said Fire Service spokesman Dana Lovell.

According to one eye-witness, vehicles heading out of Hamilton were backed up by the bottleneck.

Lt. Lovell said it could not be determined how the fire started, and the fire's origins will be officially recorded as "doubtful". "It might have been a carelessly discarded cigarettes but we are not 100 percent sure."