HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- A semi transporting thousands of pounds of oranges caught fire on I-295 north backing up traffic for miles Sunday night in Hanover County.
Virginia State Police were called out to the fire at 7:10 p.m. on the interstate south of Creighton Road.
Sgt. Stephan M. Vick said the fire started in the tractor and spread to the trailer, which was loaded with of 60,000 lbs of oranges.
VDOT said the fire happened shutdown all lanes of the interstate, but that traffic managed to get by using the left shoulder.
However, the two left lanes had reopened around as of 10:18.
The right center lane, right lane, and right shoulder were expected to remain closed for about two hours more as crews worked to unload the trailer and empty the fuel tanks.
There was at least a two-mile backup as of 9:35.
No one was injured.
Officials are investigating what sparked the blaze. Since the semi was carrying oranges, the Department of of Agriculture has been notified.
