A pickup truck sparked a massive fire on Monday afternoon, blocking two lanes of Interstate 40 near Chapel Hill.
The fire started before 12:30 p.m. Two westbound lanes were closed on I-40 near Exit 270 for U.S. Highway 15/U.S. Highway 501.
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At 12:50 p.m., a traffic camera from the state Department of Transportation showed a large plume of smoke beside the highway at Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard. The fire charred a large portion of grass beside the interstate, and the smoke plume towered far above the tree line.
A WRAL News employee passing the fire captured video of the blaze. Later, Sky 5 flew overhead at 1:30 p.m. as a scorched pickup truck was being loaded on a tow truck.
Firefighters were using hoses on hot spots in the grassy shoulder even after the pickup truck fire was extinguished.
Deputy Chief Eddie Walker of the New Hope Fire Department says that there were no injuries, the vehicle involved was completely destroyed, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The road may not fully reopen for hours.
Another vehicle fire occurred in the same area in June, when crews responded to a car on fire beside I-40 East near the U.S. 15-501 interchange. The eastbound lanes of I-40 were shut down and traffic was backed up for miles.