A large fire ripped through a tractor-trailer on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles on Wednesday, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky and causing major traffic delays.
The fire was first reported on the south side of Highway 5 on Truck Road near Roxford Street in the Sylmar/Granda Hills area around 12:20 p.m.
Preliminary information indicates that the tractor-trailer collided with another large drilling rig, causing one of them to immediately catch fire.
“A driver managed to escape his burning taxi, and passing motorists stopped to help put out the flames on his clothes and body,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.
“He appears to be badly burned,” noted Sky5 reporter Rich Prickett.
The driver was taken by ambulance to a local trauma center with “critical” burns, authorities said.
Dozens of firefighters battled the blaze for nearly 40 minutes before bringing it under control. The large truck, which transported meat, was a total loss.
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Hazardous materials crews spent the afternoon cleaning up fuel and oil spills along truck routes.
Southbound traffic from Newhall Pass came to a halt due to the crash and fire, which was visible from throughout the San Fernando Valley, Prickett said.
The official cause of the accident has not been released.
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