Crime & Safety

Beer Truck Goes up in Flames on I-85

An early morning fire closed lanes and wreaked havoc on commuters, but caused no injuries.

A tractor trailer caught fire this morning on I-85 northbound just inside Gwinnett County. Lanes remained closed for hours as a Hazmat team responded to a fuel leak.

The fire department was alerted to the fire just before 6 a.m. When they arrived the truck was just south of the Jimmy Carter Boulevard exit in Gwinnett County. The cab engulfed in flames, according to a fire department release, but quickly dosed.

The driver was standing outside the truck, with no apparent injuries. According to the fire department, a DeKalb police officer saw signs of a fire on the truck and tried to get the driver’s attention. When he finally did, they were just inside Gwinnett County.

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Diesel fuel did leak from the “saddle tanks” of the truck, so firefighters “formed a dike with dirt to contain the fuel run off,” said Cpt. Tommy Rutledge in a release. 

All lanes were initially shut down on I-85 north.  By 6:42 a.m., two lanes had reopened.   The truck was hauling beer, according to the driver.

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