Multiple crashes reported in ice, fog overnight

Officials say icy conditions on the roads caused several crashes Saturday night.

[THE LATEST: Freezing fog makes for dangerous road conditions Sunday]

All lanes of I-985 were shut down briefly after ice and fog caused a multi-vehicle crash near exit 20.

Later, emergency crews responded to an 8-vehicle crash near Friendship road along the same stretch of highway. Hall County EMS said Sunday that the cause of the crash is believed to have been ice.

Emergency crews responded to a fatal crash on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway Saturday night but it was unclear if it was weather-related.

Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was in Jackson County, where crews are working around the clock to salt roads.

Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale urged drivers Saturday to stay off the road so they can to allow crews to do their job.

“Any moisture left on the road will refreeze tonight,” she said. “We want to get as much of that off the road as possible.”

Crews treated roads on all counties north from I-20 in the advisory area.

Earlier Saturday, multiple police departments across the state urged drivers to stay off the roads.

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that roads are closed in the county because of the winter weather.

The Duluth Police Department also asked people to stay off the roads -- but with a little more sass.

In Lumpkin County, the sheriff’s office says there were numerous abandoned vehicles along the roads Saturday.

Gilmer County has opened a warming shelter for those who can’t get back to their homes because of road conditions.

Other police departments are warning that roads closed because of the accumulating snow. Some bridges iced over.

No matter where you are in metro Atlanta or north Georgia, please stay safe. If you do not need to get on the roads, stay home and enjoy the beautiful snow.

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