Burning vehicle blocks traffic on major highway running through Lexington County
A Thursday morning vehicle fire backed up traffic on a section of a major interstate running through Lexington County.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation said all of the westbound lanes on Interstate 20 were blocked, as emergency responders tried to put out the flames of the burning vehicle.
The fire near the 59 mile marker on I-20 was first reported at about 9:20 a.m., according to SCDOT. That’s close to Exit 58, which is at the junction with U.S. 1 to Lexington and West Columbia.
Information on injuries was not made available by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety.
There was no word on what caused the fire, or the number of vehicles involved.
Traffic on I-20 was backed up for miles, and there was congestion in the eastbound lanes near the fire, delaying drivers making the commute, SCDOT cameras showed.
The delays were longer because drivers were unable to move into the open lane because a concrete barrier separated them as part of an ongoing traffic shift on the highway to widen the road.
Information on when the scene would be cleared and all lanes of I-20 would be reopened was not available.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 9:49 AM.
