Traffic slows as crews battle brush fires along highway

WEST GREENWICH, R.I. (AP) - A series of brush fires along Interstate 95 in Rhode Island on Thursday sent smoke across the roadway and slowed traffic.

State police and several fire departments responded to the fires in the West Greenwich and East Greenwich areas.

One of the worst areas was near Exit 5A, where crews worked to extinguish the flames and traffic was backed up.

The fires were reported from Quaker Lane to Route 102.

The National Weather Service issued a statement about an elevated fire potential on Thursday due to the combination of warm afternoon temperatures that reached 70 degrees, relative humidity of 25% to 35%, and southwest winds gusting up to 30 mph.

The cause of the fires remains under investigation.