Vehicle on fire near Hilton Head bridge backed up traffic for miles. Here’s what happened

A vehicle fire near Windmill Harbour backed up traffic for miles on U.S. 278 coming onto Hilton Head Wednesday afternoon.

Around 2:17 p.m., Google Maps showed traffic on the Hilton Head bridges was moving again after it was congested for more than an hour Wednesday.

One east-bound lane was blocked to put out the fire around 1:11 p.m., said Joheida Fister, Hilton Head Fire and Rescue spokeswoman. Hilton Head Fire and Rescue officials were investigating the scene.

Officials said the cause of the fire is not yet known.

A passenger in the vehicle noticed smoke coming from the car. The driver then drove the vehicle off onto the side of the road, said Capt. Bob Bromage, spokesman for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

No one was in the car when the vehicle caught on fire and no injuries were reported from the incident, he said.

Traffic cameras showed that the vehicle has been moved from the scene around 2:17 p.m.

There was also a three-car accident reported on the highway near Bluffton Road reported around 1 p.m., said Lee Levesque, spokesman for the Bluffton Township Fire District.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published October 24, 2018 at 1:06 PM.