Traffic & Transit
Burning Truck Full Of Bananas Jams Up 5 Freeway In Los Angeles
The burning banana big rig tied up several lanes of the Golden State (5) Freeway Wednesday, causing traffic headaches for hours.
BOYLE HEIGHTS, CA — A big rig carrying 80,000 pounds of bananas caught fire on the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway, triggering a SigAlert and backing up traffic for miles Wednesday.
The fiery fruit truck shut down four out of five lanes for nearly an hour, jamming up traffic through the heart of the city. Three additional lanes remained closed for hours while the bananas were being moved from the damaged rig to another one, the CHP reported.
The fire was reported just after 10 a.m. north of Mission Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Firefighters arrived to find the truck fully engulfed in flames, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.
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Firefighters put out the flames in 29 minutes with no injuries reported, she said.
The CHP issued a SigAlert at 10:15 a.m., shutting down lanes four of five lanes of traffic, one of which was reopened at 10:50 a.m. The SigAlert remained in effect as of 2 p.m. Drivers are advised to avoid the area.
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City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.
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