Burning Semi Truck Backs Up Interstate 405 During Wednesday Commute

A semi-truck carrying soda pop caught fire and blocked traffic on southbound Interstate 405 at Interstate 90 around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The semi-truck driver tried to pull over onto the narrow shoulder when the cab caught fire, said Washington State Patrol spoekswoman Trooper Julie Judson. No one was injured but the incident caused a traffic mess that blocked traffic for miles.

The cause of the fire was not immediately available.

While responders were able to open most lanes of the freeway after about a half hour after the incident, the right lane remained blocked and delays were expected until the semi-truck can be towed away, Judson said.

The Bellevue Firefighters Facebook page provided more information on the blaze:

This evening, Bellevue Firefighters responded to a fully involved semi-truck fire on Interstate 405 near Interstate 90. Arriving fire crews found the truck heavily involved in fire. In all, Engine 1, 7, and Aid 1 responded. Firefighters launched an attack on the flames and quickly brought the fire under control. With large truck fires of this nature, it's imperative for firefighters to rapidly determine what type of cargo the truck might be carrying, and whether it poses any hazardous materials concerns for nearby civilians and firefighters. In this case the cargo fortunately didn't.

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