All lanes reopen on NB I-5 in Seattle after a charter bus fire
Jan 25, 2019, 2:30 PM | Updated: 5:52 pm
All lanes have reopened on I-5 near South Spokane Street in Seattle after a charter bus fire in the early afternoon.
The fire blocked all lanes of northbound I-5 near South Spokane Street in Seattle starting around 2:45 p.m., with the backup extending four miles at its peak. Washington State Patrol said it appeared as though it started from a brake fire.
The bus was carrying the Stanford University track and field team, in town for a meet this weekend. Seattle Fire reported all 31 occupants of the bus have been accounted for. There were no reports of injuries.
The scene was almost entirely cleared by 5:30 p.m., with the city citing emergency drills for the new SR 99 tunnel as a driving factor in response time and preparation. Over 1,000 feet of hose was used to douse the fire.
Around 5:30 p.m., a sweeper truck was at the scene clearing the last of the debris, shortly before all lanes were reopened.
#Seattle update: 🧹🧹🧹🧹 Sweeper truck is at the scene 🧹🧹🧹🧹 pic.twitter.com/wzMTLFvvCx
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) January 26, 2019
Seattle DOT says a bridge maintenance crew inspected the freeway’s infrastructure in the wake of the fire.
