Garbage truck catches fire on Highway 50 near East Sacramento, causing traffic delays

A garbage truck caught fire near East Sacramento Friday morning, causing temporary delays in the city on Highway 50 even as a closure is in place on the same highway in the Sierra Nevada.

The California Highway Patrol’s South Sacramento Unit said that the truck caught on fire on eastbound Highway 50 around 10:30 a.m. near 59th Street. Just before 11 a.m., CHP said the truck was fully engulfed in flame and a thick column of smoke could be seen rising from the truck.

Traffic in the area was impacted due to fire and law enforcement vehicles on scene.

Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Capt. Keith Wade said it’s often difficult to determine the cause of garbage truck fires due to the amount of varied rubbish being hauled — and that fires like these are not infrequent occurrences. It’s likely that something in the garbage compartment ignited the trash, he said. Nobody was injured.

The truck was in the No. 4 lane of the highway, and Caltrans officials said that a Sacramento Fire Department truck temporarily was blocking access to all but the No. 1 lane, causing a traffic backup.

Caltrans said the roadway was clear just before 12:30 p.m..

Near Echo Summit, Highway 50 was closed earlier in the morning due to a rock slide blocking the road. Caltrans suggests drivers use alternate routes to or from the Lake Tahoe area.

This story was originally published April 9, 2021 at 11:39 AM.