Around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon, a semi tractor-trailer hauling steel products caught fire on eastbound Interstate 40 near mile marker 352, just before the Kingston exit. Kingston Fire Department crews arrived first on the scene, bringing the blaze under control within 35 minutes; however, the fire significantly damaged the tractor and trailer and briefly spread to nearby trees off Patton Ferry Road before being extinguished.

While the driver was uninjured and no other vehicles were involved, the incident forced a full closure of the eastbound lanes for nearly two hours, diverting traffic through Midtown and causing heavy congestion in Kingston.

One lane reopened just before 4:00 p.m., but the interstate is expected to remain restricted to a single lane for at least another hour as crews clear the wreckage.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol is currently investigating the cause of the fire.