The northbound side of busy Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas has been closed since early Friday morning after a large truck carrying lithium batteries overturned, ignited and created a chemical hazard.
The single-vehicle crash happened shortly after 6 a.m. Friday near the Afton Road exit and caused a traffic jam for miles. Traffic has since been diverted to share designated southbound lanes of the freeway on a stretch between Barstow and Baker in San Bernardino County, the California Highway Patrol said.
Several attempts were made to move the hazardous container from the truck’s shoulder to an open area using heavy equipment from the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the department said Saturday morning.
“However, the weight of the container, exceeding 75,000 pounds, has made these efforts unsuccessful so far,” the ministry said.
The highway closure is in place because “lithium ion fires are particularly dangerous due to the chemicals released during degassing,” the department said.
The remoteness of the accident scene also created difficulties for emergency responders.
“One of the major challenges in this remote area is the logistics of transporting equipment, personnel and water to the scene,” the department said. “This area of the county is very remote from many of our stations… Current traffic conditions have further increased these response times.”
Air quality in the hazardous area is being monitored, the CHP said.
