A garbage truck fire shut down the northbound I-5 ramp to the West Seattle Freeway/West Seattle Bridge on Monday afternoon, causing major traffic disruptions an
A garbage truck fire shut down the northbound I-5 ramp to the West Seattle Freeway/West Seattle Bridge on Monday afternoon, causing major traffic disruptions and backups as crews worked to fully extinguish the fire.
The incident was first reported around 2 p.m.
Washington State Patrol said the closure at I-5 to the West Seattle Freeway would last “a while longer” because the truck’s load needed to be dumped and the fire completely put out before the vehicle could be moved. WSP later clarified there was “No Hazmat, just household garbage.”
Seattle Fire said firefighters were on the scene, with the fire confined to the garbage compartment. Because crews could not directly access the burning material, the initial plan was to have a tow truck move the garbage truck off the freeway so the contents could be unloaded and the fire extinguished.
In an update, Seattle Fire said the plan changed, and crews would cut open the sides of the garbage truck to reach the fire and put it out before the truck could be towed from the freeway.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said smoke was causing delays on northbound I-5 and advised drivers heading to West Seattle to seek alternate routes.
Just after 4:30 p.m., WSDOT said the northbound I-5 ramp had cleared and all lanes were open.
