I-80 closed near Colfax as ‘fully engulfed’ truck fire spreads into wildland, Cal Fire says
Update at 12:15 p.m.:
One lane of traffic remains open in each direction as of 12:11 p.m., while the second lane each way is expected to be closed until at least 4:15 p.m. for cleanup, the California Highway Patrol’s Auburn office said in a tweet.
Update at 11 a.m.:
One lane of traffic is open in each direction as of 11 a.m.
Update at 10:30 a.m.:
One lane of eastbound traffic reopened after 10:30 a.m., according to CHP.
Original post:
Both directions of Interstate 80 have been closed just west of Colfax after a semitruck fire spread into the wildland area off the freeway Monday morning, Placer County authorities and Cal Fire said.
A semitruck “fully engulfed” in flames closed westbound lanes between Weimar Crossing and Canyon Way, Caltrans said in a tweet just before 9:30 a.m.
Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit then said via Twitter that the fire had spread into the wildland area near Canyon Way.
Cal Fire said in a tweet less than 10 minutes later that the wildfire threat had been controlled, but that eastbound I-80 was also closed at Placer Hills Road, a few miles south of Canyon Way, as crews handle the commercial vehicle fire.
One lane of eastbound traffic reopened after 10:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Westbound I-80 remains closed with no estimated time of reopening. Travelers are urged to avoid the area.
CHP’s incident log indicates the semitruck driver exited the vehicle safely.
This story was originally published August 5, 2019 at 9:57 AM with the headline "I-80 closed near Colfax as ‘fully engulfed’ truck fire spreads into wildland, Cal Fire says."
