SFGate, San Francisco
(TNS)
Jul. 27—Travelers on highways between the Inland Empire and Las Vegas are experiencing what can only be described as a traffic nightmare after a truck carrying hazardous materials overturned and caught on fire Friday morning, closing all northbound lanes of Interstate 15 near Baker.
As of Saturday afternoon, the roughly 40-mile stretch of freeway between Harvard and Baker in San Bernardino County had been completely closed to northbound travelers for over 24 hours, California Highway Patrol's Barstow office confirmed to SFGATE by phone. All lanes finally reopened in the early morning hours of Sunday.
The incident began after a truck carrying lithium-ion batteries overturned near Baker before 8 a.m. on Friday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The batteries inside the truck caught fire, further escalating the situation by potentially releasing hazardous chemicals into the air, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District. The closure has left thousands of motorists effectively stranded.
Some travelers have been "exhibiting medical conditions and heat-related emergencies," San Bernardino County Fire posted on X late Friday afternoon.
"We are actively addressing the needs of motorists stuck without water and experiencing other issues," SBCFPD wrote. "We strongly recommend that all individuals attempting to travel northbound divert and seek alternate routes as the closure is expected to be extended due to the hazmat and suppression operations related to the truck fire."
Travelers attempting to avoid the closures on I-15 then clogged nearby Interstate 40, which is still experiencing traffic impacts in San Bernardino County, according to Google Maps traffic data.
Many motorists are taking to social media to document the chaos. Photos and videos posted to TikTok and X show miles of gridlocked traffic on both I-15 and I-40 throughout Friday, into Friday night and all day Saturday.
According to SBCFPD, officials have tried several times to move the container carrying the lithium-ion batteries away from the freeway shoulder, but at more than 75,000 pounds, its weight has prevented these efforts from being successful.
"The priority at this point is to maintain public safety and reopen the freeway. Once this is accomplished, crews will move on to the next steps for final completion," SBCFPD posted on Friday evening.
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Details: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/motorists-stuck-between-los-angeles-and-las-vegas-as-a-hard-closure-on-i-15-stifles-traffic/ KTLA 5 News - Keeping Southern Californians informed since 1947.
