Tractor trailer hauling orange juice catches fire on Capital Beltway

A tractor trailer hauling orange juice caught fire on the Capital Beltway near National Harbor on Saturday morning. Traffic was slowed on the Outer Loop at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge for over eight hours due to clean up of the burned trailer.



Around 10 a.m. Saturday morning, Prince George’s County firefighters responded to a large vehicle fire on the Outer Loop thru lanes near Interstate 295.

According to officials, the trailer was uncoupled from the semi-truck when they arrived. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

During the day, highway crews used an excavator and roll off dumpsters to remove thousands of pounds of burned orange juice containers from the trailer.

All lanes on the Outer Loop of the Beltway were reopened around 6 p.m.

Dave Dildine

A native to the Washington area, Dave Dildine is no stranger to the region's complex traffic and weather patterns. Dave joined WTOP in 2010 when the station launched its very own in-house traffic service. You can hear him "on the 8s and when it breaks" from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

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