Truck fire, HAZMAT response closes I-15 between Las Vegas, Los Angeles

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Officials said that a truck fire closed large portions of Interstate 15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles on Friday.

On Friday just before 6 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a crash on I-15 northbound. Officials said the crash occurred when the driver of a 2020 Freightliner lost control and overturned onto the right shoulder of the freeway.

The flatbed trailer was loaded with a sealed container of six industrial-grade lithium-ion batteries. During the crash, the battery container became detached from the flatbed trailer and also rolled onto the shoulder.

When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they saw a fire emerging from the ruptured hazmat container. Due to the “inherent danger” of the fire, a one-third-of-a-mile safety zone was set to ensure public safety, CHP said.

CHP closed massive stretches of the northbound and southbound freeway between Barstow and Primm on the Nevada state line. Officials suggested avoiding the road entirely. Officials also initially closed the southbound lanes at Basin Road however they were later opened for travel.

“CHP is coordinating these intermittent closures while emergency equipment is escorted on the opposing southbound lanes,” officials said.

In a Saturday morning update, CHP said it continued to enforce a hard closure of northbound I-15 at Harvard. The freeway remained closed overnight and to manage traffic, CHP alternated the north and southbound flow on the southbound lanes.

Officials said multiple attempts were made to move the container from the freeway shoulder to open land using heavy equipment including an excavator and a dozer. Ground improvements and grading were completed to prepare to relocate the container to a safe area for long-term mitigation and cleanup. However, the container’s weight, which exceeds 75,000 pounds, has made these efforts unsuccessful as of Saturday afternoon.

Fire crews were working with partner agencies and resources to call for additional heavy equipment to remove the container. Officials said the container’s weight requires specialized equipment for successful removal.

Early Sunday morning around 4:30 a.m., CHP reopened the northbound lanes saying, “Crews have worked non-stop through the night to carefully move the hazardous materials container a safe distance away from the roadway. As you resume your travels, take all safety precautions and drive with care to your destination.”

Additionally, water was being provided at the Clyde V Kane Rest Stop off northbound Interstate 15, south of Afton Canyon Road, for those who are stuck without water and having issues due to the heat.

Dispatchers received calls related to people with medical and heat-related emergencies. Officials said additional ambulances and fire crews have been dispatched to the area to help with those incidents.

“Again, if you can safely do so, please seek alternate routes through Interstate 40,” the release said. “Always follow the directions of law enforcement, including CHP in the area.”

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo took to X stating that his office, the Nevada Department of Transportation, Nevada State Police and the Nevada Division of Emergency Management have been in “constant communication with California to ensure that I-15 northbound can reopen safely as soon as possible. I-15 southbound is open.”

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