Yahoo Autos Lithium-ion Battery Fire Shuts Down Major Interstate In California
Read the full story on The Auto Wire
A semi-truck carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries caught fire on Interstate 15 between Barstow and Baker in California, stranding thousands of motorists as the highway was shut down. That stretch of interstate serves as a major roadway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with many Californians getting away to Nevada for some weekend fun.
Watch police in Florida arrest an entire street takeover.
Instead of just blowing off some steam, those revelers got to sit in the baking desert as traffic came to standstill. At first both northbound and southbound lanes were completely closed. However, later CHP was able to get traffic moving southbound.
In the meantime, traffic was rerouted to other highways, overloading them and creating huge traffic jams travelers were stuck in for hours. Many had to return home, unable to make the trip to Las Vegas.
That truck was reportedly transporting six large commercial lithium-ion batteries. The driver lost control on the morning of July 26, the trailer overturning, triggering the fire.
As we’ve seen with other lithium-ion battery fires, this one triggered a hazmat response. California Highway Patrol had no estimated time as of Saturday afternoon for the fire to be under control and the interstate cleaned up so traffic could start flowing again, reports KTLA 5.
Lithium-ion battery fires can be tricky for first responders since they require either quite a bit of water or specialized substances to combat. Smoke carries all kinds of toxic chemicals, requiring firefights to be properly suited up but also presents a danger to civilians who might be downwind.
The also can reignite days later, so even after the blaze is extinguished, transporting the batteries to another location can prove tricky.
This is one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to take extra water and food along when you hit the open road. Even if your route takes you through populated areas, you never know if you’ll be stranded in a traffic jam or something else will disrupt the normal flow of traffic.
Image via KTLA 5/YouTube
Follow The Auto Wire on Google News.
Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook.
