VIRGINIA, USA — Virginia State Police report all southbound lanes of Interstate 495 have reopened following a tractor trailer fire Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic was backed up for 12 miles on the Beltway just after Arlington Boulevard (Route 50) around 4 p.m. Fairfax firefighters responded to the scene and brought the fire under control quickly. Firefighters reported no injuries as a result of the fire. About 25 minutes after the first report of the fire, fire crews tweeted that the fire was under control.
While the fire was handled quickly by responding crews, the backup resulting from the clean-up of the scene lasted several hours.
A viewer sent us video of what the fire looked like before firefighters arrived:
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) opened two express lanes to traffic around 6 p.m., but ongoing recovery operations meant left two right general-purpose lanes were still closed around 10 p.m., according to officials.
The scene finally cleared up overnight and all lanes are back open with traffic moving smoothly.