Vehicle fire slows traffic on I-205

A vehicle fire briefly closed all three lanes of southbound Interstate 205 on Monday morning, slowing the morning commute on the highway and nearby arterials.

Vancouver firefighters and state troopers were called to the scene just before 7:30 a.m., arriving to find a fully-involved vehicle fire in the center lane, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn.

Troopers blocked all three lanes of traffic while firefighters doused the flames, which destroyed a maroon 1987 Ford Ranger.

“The gas tank was so full that it took them a while to get it to stop burning,” Finn said.

The driver told troopers that his pickup stopped working before it began smoking and eventually caught fire.

All three lanes were reopened by 8 a.m., but the incident caused traffic to back up to Salmon Creek and spill onto state Highway 500 and Padden Parkway throughout the morning commute.

“It was a huge, huge mess,” Finn said.