Smoke from a large brush fire could be seen in Columbus on Friday (Photo by Kevin Powell / Tryon Daily Bulletin)

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***BREAKING NEWS***

COLUMBUS – Friday afternoon, a large brush fire in a wooded area along Hwy. 74 caused traffic issues in Columbus. Smoke could be seen billowing from the area from various locations.

Polk Schools issued a message stating that bus routes would be delayed due to traffic on Hwy. 74 being diverted to Hwy. 108.

There have also been reports of traffic light outages in downtown Columbus.

As of press time, the size and cause of the fire is unknown. Please check back for updates to this developing story.