EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - A raging car fire that resulted in one death triggered significant traffic backups on two busy west metro highways Wednesday afternoon.
It happened shortly before 1 p.m., when a car apparently being driven east on Highway 5 and merging on to Highway 212 started on fire, ran off the road and became completely engulfed. Unconfirmed reports say the vehicle was burning for more than a quarter mile before leaving the road.
First responders scrambled to the scene to extinguish the blaze and remove the driver from the wreckage. The State Patrol tweeted that the driver died from their injuries.
The emergency response completely shut down eastbound lanes of Highway 5 from Venture to Mitchell Road, and closed all but one lane of eastbound 212. MnDOT cameras reveal significant backups in the area.
KARE 11 is monitoring the situation and will have updates as they become available.
