A sanitation truck fire on I-285 South in DeKalb County caused backups ahead of the evening commute Tuesday, police said.

All lanes of the perimeter at East Ponce de Leon Avenue and Church Street closed around 1:30 p.m. and started to reopen more than two hours later, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

As of 5:30 p.m., all lanes were back open.

DeKalb police said they responded to the area after reports of a truck on fire.

“The vehicle fire appears to also have caught nearby grass on fire,” spokesperson Blaine Clark said.

GDOT cameras showed charred grass in a large area next to the highway.

DeKalb Fire Rescue spokesperson Capt. Jaeson Daniels said no injuries were reported.

The closure impacted traffic on the perimeter as far north as Doraville, where I-285 intersects with I-85.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Investigators believe a fire that burned three homes in East Point on Tuesday might have started in an abandoned house. No injuries were reported. (Ben Hendren for the AJC)

Credit: Ben Hendren

Featured

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testifies before a state Senate committee at the Capitol in Atlanta on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC