A propane truck on fire shut down both sides of the 101 Freeway for around 10 hours starting early Sunday in Westlake Village, California Highway Patrol officials said.
By mid-morning, firefighters sprayed down the truck from a distance, cautiously attempting to keep the fire from reigniting — the truck contained hundreds of cylinders of propane when the blaze started, CHP officials said.
“[Ventura County Fire Department firefighters are] using multiple water cannons to put out semi truck on fire loaded with 500 small propane tanks,” the CHP said on Twitter. They asked drivers to continue avoiding the area.
CHP officials at around 5 a.m. said the truck pulled over to the right side of the northbound 101 Freeway near Westlake Boulevard, with “flames underneath.” Within 15 minutes, they said the truck was fully engulfed in flames.
Both sides of the freeway were shut down as the truck burned. Some trapped drivers were forced to turn around and drive the wrong way to get off the freeway. Others were trapped for nearly an hour until CHP officers helped them turn around.
CHP units began reopening the freeway in the late afternoon — just before 3 p.m., police began slowly allowing traffic on both sides of the 101.
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