Traffic was backed up for miles on the southbound lanes of I-495 in Northern Virginia during the Wednesday evening rush after a tractor-trailer caught fire.
All of the main southbound lanes of the Beltway Outer Loop were shut down just south of US-50 in Falls Church as crews put out the fire and worked to clean up the scene beginning about 4:30 p.m. At one point, traffic stretched from Falls Church to Bethesda, Chopper4's Brad Freitas reported.
It is unclear what caused the fire. No injuries were reported, according to Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department.
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Two left lanes reopened about 6 p.m. As of 9:15 p.m., two right lanes remained blocked and there was still over 1.5 miles of delays as crews worked to remove the truck. All lanes were back open in time for the Thursday morning commute.
The express lanes were also getting by, but the rate to enter was about $31.
Video from Chopper4 showed miles of cars and trucks sitting in traffic waiting to get through.
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