CHOKEPOINTS

SR 520 car fire snarls Monday morning commute, all lanes reopen within 30 minutes

May 4, 2026, 9:01 AM

SR 520 Seattle car fire...

A photo of the car fire on SR 520, west of 84th Avenue N.E. in Seattle. (Photo submitted to the Seattle's Morning News text line)

(Photo submitted to the Seattle's Morning News text line)

All lanes of eastbound SR 520 have reopened after a car fire caused lengthy traffic delays Monday morning.

At 7:33 a.m., just west of 84th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, a vehicle on fire was blocking two right lanes of SR 520, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced.

Shortly after, several crews responded to the scene, including the Washington State Patrol, Incident Response Team, and fire crews.

Traffic was moving through the HOV lane until fire crews extinguished the active car fire and reopened an additional lane.

In total, the closures lasted less than 30 minutes, as all lanes of the highway were reopened at 7:57 a.m.

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SR 520 car fire snarls Monday morning commute, all lanes reopen within 30 minutes