Trucks carrying lumber, candles burst into flames after collision on I-285

In the kind of calamity only possible in metro Atlanta traffic, a chain reaction caused two trucks carrying loads of lumber and candles to collide on I-285 and burst into flames Thursday morning.

The matchstick made in heaven created a huge problem for authorities in south Fulton County, who shut down the entire I-285 Outer Loop for hours to battle the blaze and clean up the wreck. The southbound lanes of the interstate were closed until mid-afternoon, while one lane remained blocked into Thursday evening.

At times, the backups stretched for 10 miles, causing some motorists to wait in traffic for more than five hours.

“It’s a mess, basically,” College Park fire Battalion Chief Madoshi Jones told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from the scene.

Firefighters brought the flames under control about 10:30 a.m., nearly three hours after the wreck was first reported near the Washington Road overpass. According to fire officials, there were multiple explosions when a truck hauling a flatbed loaded with lumber crashed into another truck hauling a trailer filled with 10,000 pounds of candles.

A silver SUV was also pinned between them, East Point city spokeswoman Renita Shelton said. Authorities believe the wreck was caused by a third tractor-trailer, whose driver jumped out of his cab when he lost control on an access road, leaving his rig to roll onto I-285 and into the other vehicles.

The crews from East Point were the first to arrive at the scene shortly before 8 a.m. after being delayed by the mounting interstate backups, Shelton said. One of the fire engines was also involved in a secondary wreck.

The driver of the third tractor-trailer suffered minor burns and remained in the hospital through the afternoon, police told Channel 2 Action News. The other drivers got out unscathed, Shelton said. East Point police are still investigating the crash.

Bradley Norris, the SUV driver, recounted the crash to Channel 2 and noted that he might have been seriously injured had he arrived at the crash scene two seconds earlier.

“The truck driver said he fell out of the truck. Coming down his truck rolled onto the highway, hit me and two other trucks,” Norris said from the scene. “Gladly I was two seconds earlier, if not ... I probably wouldn’t be here today. I’m just glad God was with me. I get to go home and see my newborn.”

His wife, after learning about the crash, went to the scene to reunite Norris with his 2-month-old.

While the burned candles left some wax on the road, the truck carrying lumber dumped its entire load onto the highway. Hundreds of what appeared to be 2x10 boards were charred and scattered across the southbound lanes. After the road was cleaned up, authorities covered the interstate with dirt to keep the fuel from scattering, Channel 2 reported.

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

Credit: JOHN SPINK / AJC

All but one southbound lane reopened by 3:20 p.m. Two northbound lanes that were also closed for cleanup reopened before 1:30 p.m.

— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.

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