SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Traffic at the top end of the Perimeter crawled to a halt for some drivers after an apparent deadly fiery crash involving a tractor trailer in the middle of the evening rush hour. Sandy Springs Police confirmed that there was a fatality.
Georgia Department of Transportation traffic cameras showed the aftermath of the "serious" crash in Sandy Springs: a smoldering tractor trailer on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of I-285, just before New Northside Drive.
Sandy Springs police said westbound lanes would remain closed, while three inside eastbound lanes also remained closed. Those eastbound lanes later appeared to be reopened by 7 p.m.
Sandy Springs police later said one tractor trailer rear-ended another tractor trailer hauling scrap metal and magnesium.
"The explosion from the impact came from the fuel onboard the tractor trailer that caused the accident, which killed the driver," authorities said. "Due to the intensity of the fire and the scrap metal, it has taken longer than normal to clear the roadway. The magnesium keeps relighting."
Sandy Springs Police said just after 11 p.m., all lanes on I-285 have reopened.
How to get around the crash
Drivers - especially those trying to go from Chamblee, Ashford Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs into Cobb County - should anticipate long delays, and authorities are urging them to use alternate routes.
11Alive's Crash Clark, Atlanta's Traffic Expert, recommends taking Ga-400 south to I-75 North.
Check 11alive.com/traffic for the latest on road conditions.
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