Vehicle fire on I-5 South blocks lanes in Vancouver, causes traffic backup

A vehicle fire blocked two lanes of Interstate 5 south for about 45 minutes early Wednesday morning, causing traffic backups during the morning commute.

The Vancouver Fire Department found a sedan “fully engulfed in flames” about 7:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of I-5, according to a statement from the agency. The fire took about 10 minutes to extinguish.

Both the right and center lanes of the freeway were blocked near 29th Street for the emergency response.

There were no injuries; the driver safely escaped prior to Vancouver Fire’s arrival, according to a Wednesday afternoon statement.

Traffic quickly backed up to Hazel Dell on I-5 and U Street on state Highway 500.

The scene was cleared about 8:15 a.m., according to the Washington State Department of Transportation on X, formerly Twitter, but by then, the backup on I-5 reached 99th Street. Traffic in downtown was snarled, as well.