Truck fire closes Capital Beltway in Fairfax

Traffic is backed up for at least five miles on the Capital Beltway this afternoon after a tractor-trailer truck overturned and caught fire at about 1:40 p.m.

Traffic in the eastbound lanes is down to one lane, which appears to be trickling through the affected area, which is near the 172 mile marker in Fairfax County.

The road is completely closed in the westbound lanes as of 3:04 p.m., according to Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible and take alternate routes. There's no word yet on how long it might take to clean up the mess and get traffic flowing.

The crash was reported at 1:38 p.m., Thursday, April 4. The truck overturned, and the impact of the crash caused the vehicle to catch fire. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured in the crash, Geller said.

"The tractor-trailer's load is insulation, which is not deemed as a hazardous material. The cause of the crash remains under investigation," Geller said.

Fairfax Fire and EMS are on the scene.

The crash comes almost exactly one week after another crash on the beltway in Fairfax County, also due to an overturned truck, shut down the road for 13 hours, snarling traffic throughout the region.