Chattanooga firefighters have extinguished a fast-moving brush and grass fire that snarled traffic on Interstate 24 today, according to the department.
Multiple agencies fought the fire, which was reported at about 2:30 p.m. in the median between lanes on I-24, near the Tennessee-Georgia border.
It appears the fire began in Dade County, Chattanooga fire department spokesman Bruce Garner said. A truck was pulling an ATV on a trailer, he said, and an unattached flat tire on the ATV bounced off the trailer and hit the pavement, sending sparks flying.
Those sparks began the grass fire, which spread quickly because of dry conditions, Garner said.
No one was injured in the blaze, although traffic came to a near standstill as smoke filled the air and blocked visibility.