A tractor-trailer fire on I-40 eastbound at the 298-mile marker in Putnam County has delayed travel for hours.

The initial report came in just after 9 this morning, and as of near 1 p.m. this afternoon (Thursday, March 19, 2026), the backup is all the way to close to Cookeville. The right lane is blocked with crews stopping the sole lane open at times to clean up the debris believed to be garbage on the interstate.

No expected time of clearing was given by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The driver, 43-year-old Octavio Diaz-Tobias of Mexico, was not injured.