Traffic on the outer loop of the Perimeter was brought to a standstill for nearly two hours Wednesday morning after a tractor-trailer hauling dog food caught on fire.
Authorities shut down I-285 South at Langford Parkway at about 8:15 a.m. and did not begin reopening lanes until about 9:40 a.m., causing miles of delays during the peak morning rush. According to an Atlanta fire spokesperson, the blaze was extinguished within the first 45 minutes, but work to clear the charred big rig and remove excess water took much of the morning.
No one was injured, the spokesperson said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, who identified himself only by his surname to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said he was taking an exit when he looked in his rearview mirror to see his refrigerated trailer on fire. It was partially loaded with dog food bound for Florida, he said.
He immediately parked the vehicle, which “burned pretty quick,” the driver said. “It was pretty scary.”
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Logistics were the primary reason for the traffic delay, fire Capt. Jerry Crosby told the AJC. Crews not only had to extinguish the flames on the vehicle, they had to pull out its cargo to extinguish any hot spots.
“We don’t have any hydrants on the interstate, so the biggest concern there is water supply,” Crosby said. “We had two engines from the city of Atlanta and one engine responded from the city of South Fulton.”
Dog food is not especially combustible, but Crosby said “anything will burn if it gets hot enough.” He was not sure how or where the fire started, but he said any time refrigerant becomes heated there is concern for poisonous gases.
During the shutdown, motorists were seen standing on the interstate while they waited, and southbound traffic crowded onto the Downtown Connector.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
