Brush fire in I-5 median near Everett blocks HOV lanes in both directions
Aug 25, 2026, 2:51 PM | Updated: 3:36 pm
A photo of the brush fire along I-5 in Everett. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation)
(Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation)
A brush fire in the median of I-5 near Everett is blocking the HOV lane in both directions and the southbound left general-purpose lane as fire crews work to douse the blaze on Tuesday.
The fire broke out around 2:37 p.m. north of 128th Street SW, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) announced.
In an update, WSDOT confirmed there is a more than three-mile backup in both directions as fire crews and incident response units are on the scene.
Smoke from the fire is impacting visibility throughout the area, and travelers have been warned to anticipate slowing down near the incident.
UPDATE: The HOV lane in both directions of I-5 north of 128th St SW near Everett are blocked due to an incident in the median. Expect to slow down as smoke is affecting visibility on I-5. https://t.co/f86wwCi8om pic.twitter.com/5kkUv2zSzy
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) August 25, 2026
Northbound I-5 is backed up to the I-405 interchange, and southbound I-5 is backed up to SR 526, according to KIRO Newsradio.
(South Everett) NB I5 just past 128th Street a brush fire in the median. Fire crews are blocking the NB I5 HOV lane. NB is backed up to the 405 interchange. SB is backed up to SR526. pic.twitter.com/Xdy5YDRSwi
— KIRO Newsradio Traffic (@KIROTraffic) August 25, 2026
There is currently no estimated time for the lanes to reopen.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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