SEATTLE - The southbound lanes of Interstate 5 shut down Thursday afternoon in Downtown Seattle after a welding vehicle caught fire and began exploding.
After an hours-long shutdown, the freeway reopened.According to the Seattle Fire Department, no injuries were reported. It was too soon to know what caused the fire, but officials said they suspected a possible maintenance issue with the truck itself.All lanes were closed around 1:30 p.m.
between Mercer and State Route 520. At around 2:30 p.m., the northbound lanes reopened.The Express Lanes were closed for several hours but have since reopened to allow southbound traffic to get through Downtown Seattle.Photo credit: Robert Galvin Authorities said Friday that it was a welding truck carrying oxygen, acetylene, propane and an argon cylinder that caught fire.
Explosions could be seen for at least 30 minutes.Just before 4:30 p.m., firefighters said the fire was extinguished.A witness captured on video the moment a flatbed truck exploded on I-5 in Downtown Seattle.