Vehicle catches fire on Interstate 71

Traffic on Interstate 71 near Mansfield was finally back to normal by the lunch hour on Monday.

Vehicles had been moving slowly in the southbound lanes of I-71 near Mansfield all morning.

"The left and middle lanes are open right now," a dispatcher with the Ohio Highway Patrol confirmed around 10 a.m. Monday. "They're still out there investigating."

By noon, all three lanes were open.

There was still no word yet if anyone was injured during the incident when the News Journal went to print Monday.

The closure took place because of a vehicle fire on I-71 about 5½ miles south of Ohio 97, according to a news release from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

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The call came in at 7:34 a.m. Monday, according to the patrol. One lane of traffic had opened by 8:11 a.m., then second lane at 9 a.m.

Emergency personnel were still working in the third lane at 10 a.m.

"Traffic is moving slowly," the ODOT news release read. "Motorists are advised to drive with caution in the area."