Several small fires closed I-540 in Raleigh for a time Saturday. Arson suspected
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- Brush fires closed I-540 from Triangle Town Boulevard to Leesville Road.
- Raleigh police and fire units extinguished multiple fires; no injuries reported.
- All lanes of I-540 reopened by 5:23 p.m. Saturday after traffic alert.
Several brush fires along Interstate 540 are being investigated as arsons, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
The fires were reported at several locations Saturday afternoon, including near Glenwood Avenue, Leesville Road and Capital Boulevard. Investigators think the fires were intentionally set, the Sheriff’s Office said Saturday night.
Raleigh City Council Member Christina Jones, who represents District E, told The News & Observer she was headed to a birthday party with her family and saw the smoke from the highway.
“We kept driving and in just a few hundred more feet, there was another one,” Jones said. “The second I saw that one, I went, this is intentional.”
Jones said the fires kept going. She called 911 — which had already received call — and the city manager, she said.
“I definitely want to give our first responders all around the area, just that high five and that, that kudos to continuing to keep the community safe,” Jones said.
The first fire was reported at 2:32 p.m., city spokesperson Julia Milstead said Monday.
The city sent out a traffic alert around 4:30 p.m. that all lanes of I-540 at Capital Boulevard were closed while the Raleigh Police and Fire departments extinguished the fires.
The highway was fully open again as of 5:23 p.m. Saturday, Police Capt. Charles Penny told The N&O.
The cause of the fires remains unclear. No injuries were reported.
Eleven agencies responded to the fire, Milstead said: Raleigh’s police and fire departments, the State Highway Patrol, Wake County Sheriff’s Office, Northern Wake Fire Department, Durham Highway Fire Department, Wake Forest Fire Department, Western Wake Fire Department, Knightdale Fire Department, N.C. Forestry Service and Durham Fire Department.
The Sheriff’s Office said Monday there were no indications more fires had been set since Saturday. Some smoke rekindled near Leesville Road on Monday morning, which several fire departments responded to, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Nathan Collins and Lexi Solomon contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 18, 2025 at 6:03 PM.
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