Vehicle fire briefly slows eastbound I-105 traffic in Eugene

A vehicle fire on Interstate 105 near the Club Road off-ramp briefly disrupted eastbound traffic in Eugene Wednesday afternoon, slowing one of the city’s key commuter connectors while Eugene Springfield Fire worked the scene.

The fire started around 2 p.m. just west of the Club Road off-ramp, and at least one lane was affected as crews moved in to extinguish the blaze. No injuries were reported, which kept the incident from becoming more serious on a corridor where even a small emergency can ripple quickly through traffic.

By the time TripCheck reflected conditions, no major delay remained, suggesting the slowdown was short-lived even though it hit a busy stretch of freeway in Lane County. The cause of the fire remained under investigation after firefighters brought it under control.

The incident also underscored how fast a routine drive can turn into a traffic problem when a vehicle catches fire on a limited-access highway. Oregon Department of Transportation says its Traffic Incident Management program is meant to improve first-responder safety and highway reliability, and state guidance requires drivers to move over or slow down for roadside workers and emergency responders.

ODOT says that protection extends to incident responders, tow truck drivers, maintenance crews, flaggers and cleanup teams working close to live traffic. Oregon materials say drivers who do not obey the move-over law can face a fine of up to $400. Eugene says fire incident reports must be requested through the city’s public-records process.