I-285 reopens after tractor-trailer fire

COBB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Several lanes of Interstate 285 southbound were shut down early Tuesday morning after a tractor-trailer fire.

The driver of the big rig said he noticed smoke on his side mirrors as he approached South Cobb Drive while heading west. 

“When I saw the fire, I stopped, dropped the trailer, called 911. I picked up my fire extinguisher but it didn’t work,” explained Mitesh Kamal.  

Kamal was hauling bags of frozen chicken from Ellijay to Compton, California, and believes the brakes are to blame for the emergency.  

Crews doused the flames and went to work trying to move the container, a tricky job since the intense heat melted the trailer into two halves.  

All lanes reopened shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday.