
Truck fire causes 109-degree traffic jam
California highway's 109-degree heat caused hours of traffic as lithium ion battery truck fire closure persisted. Northbound lanes shut for over a day.

On a scorching Saturday, motorists found themselves trapped in their vehicles on a California highway, enduring 109-degree heat for several hours. The cause of the standstill was a fire incident involving a truck carrying lithium ion batteries, which had overturned the previous day. The situation presented a significant challenge to the authorities, who were hard-pressed to bring the blaze under control.
Traffic Disruption and Lane Closures
The chaos unfolded on the northbound lanes of I-15, a crucial highway connecting California to Las Vegas. Following the crash, emergency services were inundated with distress calls around 6:30 a.m. local time. As a result, the northbound lanes were shut down from 8:30 a.m., with the southbound lanes following suit at 9 a.m. Although the southbound lanes were able to reopen shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, the northbound lanes remained impassable well into Saturday afternoon, causing extensive traffic congestion.
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