Commuters in DeKalb County faced significant delays on Tuesday afternoon as a garbage truck burst into flames on I-285 southbound, leading to a complete shutdown of all lanes near Ponce de Leon Avenue. The Georgia Department of Transportation confirmed on their 511 website that the incident occurred around 2:30 p.m., and although the lanes began to reopen by 4:30 p.m., traffic was described as still heavy. The lanes weren't fully clear until 5:40 p.m., which provided some relief to the congestion that had built up during peak hours, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
According to Atlanta News First, the fire not only engulfed the DeKalb Sanitation truck but also sparked flames in the grass of the median, smoke from which was visible in aerial footage, billowing into the sky and adding to the hazardous conditions that responders had to deal with; no injuries were reported as a result of this incident. SKYFOX 5 captured scenes of firefighters diligently working to extinguish the garbage truck, some climbing ladders to address the situation directly within the containers.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, with officials not yet releasing any specific details on what may have triggered the blaze. Meanwhile drivers in the area were advised to seek alternative routes or expect delays as clean-up and investigation into the matter proceeded.
