ATLANTA — Motorists are moving freely again after a large fire involving a car temporarily crippled northbound traffic.
The fire happened on the Downtown Connector in the northbound lanes near University Avenue on Thursday afternoon. Atlanta Fire said they were alerted, initially, to a location further down the highway but later learned the fire was about a mile away.
Heading into the afternoon rush hour, the fire initially led to the closure of seven northbound lanes before being narrowed to three - causing a serious backup on one of the city's busiest roadways. At one point, traffic was backed up to Langford Parkway. Georgia 511 initially estimated the roads wouldn't be clear for an hour.
Authorities still haven't officially released the status of the driver or how the fire began. Video from the scene shows what appears to be a four-door sedan that was completely engulfed in flames as Atlanta Fire Rescue crews stretched hose lines across the road to extinguish them.
Fire officials have used the situation as a reminder to give the exact location of an incident when calling it into emergency responders to help them respond more quickly.
For more traffic information, visit the 11Alive Traffic Trackers page
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