Interstate 80 reopens in Placer County following recreational vehicle fire

Update: Caltrans said around 4:30 p.m. that I-80 eastbound has reopened at Baxter. The agency is advising motorists to expect delays as the two left-most lanes remain closed near Blue Canyon for incident cleanup.

Caltrans said in a following post at 5:15 p.m. that the second left-most lane is open, but the #1 lane remains closed. The agency said the estimated time for full highway reopening is 8 p.m.

Original story:

A vehicle is burning on Interstate 80 in Placer County west of Blue Canyon Wednesday afternoon, California Highway Patrol said, causing a temporary closure of the highway there.

Gold Run CHP said in a social media post that I-80 eastbound is shut down west of Blue Canyon.

According to the CHP incident report, the car started burning a little after 1 p.m. There are propane tanks in the vehicle that have not exploded, and officials are trying to get everyone away, the report said. No other details are yet available.

The portion of the highway will remain closed for an unknown duration due to the fire, the incident report said.

Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit said in a post a little before 4 p.m. that the car caught on fire is a Blue Inc. recreation vehicle. The blaze from the RV caused an approximately 1½-acre vegetation fire in the median between east and westbound lanes in the Blue Canyon area.

This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 2:51 PM.