DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A driver is in critical condition after the tractor-trailer he was driving burst into flames on a busy interstate.
Firefighters shut down all lanes of Interstate 285 at Chamblee-Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County Wednesday night. The lanes reopened before Thursday morning.
Firefighters said the truck’s brakes caught fire. The driver pulled over and was hurt when a tire exploded.
He is being treated for serious burns.
The truck was carrying oxygen canisters, some of which went flying across the interstate.
People who live in the area said the explosion shook their homes.
"Right when I got outside I could smell it,” witness Alex Perry said. “I got over here and I saw the smoke. People were covering, like this walking that way. The whole thing was on fire, the whole thing."
We’re working to find out the latest on the driver’s condition.
Stay with WSBTV.com and watch Channel 2 Action News for updates.
285 westbound by Chamblee Dunwoody. Tractor Trailer in flames pic.twitter.com/zFv97EFchf
— Lee Miller (@LeeMillerElite) September 15, 2016
@wsbtv I could feel the heat from the fire all the way on the opposite side of the interstate, if that helps describe scene!
— SKYLAR CHANS (@skylarchans) September 15, 2016
Truck fire closes all lanes of I-285A tractor-trailer carrying O2 cylinders exploded on I-285, critically injuring the driver and shutting down all lanes in both directions for nearly an hour. http://2wsb.tv/2cy37wS
Posted by WSB-TV on Wednesday, September 14, 2016
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