A tour bus burst into flames on I-285 in Cobb County on Wednesday morning, shutting down multiple lanes and creating gridlock conditions for hours.

The bus caught on fire on I-285 near Paces Ferry Road.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

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Credit: JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

The fire was extinguished by 8:30 a.m., but three right lanes of the outer loop remained closed between Paces Ferry and Atlanta roads while crews cleaned up the wreckage. For hours, the burned-out bus was sitting on the shoulder.

The southbound lanes had reopened and traffic was flowing again by midday.

Authorities have not said how the bus caught on fire, but Cobb fire officials said no passengers were aboard the vehicle when the blaze broke out. The driver was out of the bus and “safely away from the fire,” officials said.

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