The Daily Populous Sunday July 28th, 2024 night edition
Authored by vvdailypress.com and submitted by trekbette

The entire 15 Freeway was shut down east of Barstow Friday after a big rig hauling lithium-ion batteries crashed and caught fire, blocking Southern California's link to Las Vegas for more than nine hours, officials said.

The crash occurred just before 6 a.m. in the freeway's northbound lanes between Barstow and Baker, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Firefighters encountered burning lithium-ion batteries, prompting them to call for a hazardous material response, logs show.

The burning batteries posed multiple threats, San Bernardino County Fire Protection District officials said.

See updated coverage:Still no timeline set to open northbound I-15 to Las Vegas after hazmat fire

"This product, when involved with fire, can escalate to a thermal runaway, which requires massive amounts of water to extinguish," the agency said in a written statement. "To ensure public safety, a hard closure of both northbound and southbound lanes of the 15 freeway has been enforced. Public safety is of the utmost importance, and keeping the area clear allows emergency responders to manage the situation effectively and prevent potential harm."

In addition to the possibility of thermal runaway, in which the batteries undergo a chain reaction and potentially explode due to puncturing or crushing, lithium-ion batteries also produce toxic fumes, officials said.

Numerous triangular yellow placards displaying lightning bolt symbols to warn of electrical danger could be seen adorning the burning trailer.

Northbound traffic was stopped at Afton Road, while southbound traffic was halted at Basin Road.

No information was available regarding the condition of the driver.

Southbound lanes of the freeway were reopened about 3 p.m., while a "hard closure" remained in effect for northbound lanes, according to CHP and fire officials. Officials began intermittently allowing northbound traffic to use southbound lanes to pass. Southbound traffic was being intermittently stopped, however, to allow officials to bring in heavy equipment.

There was no estimate regarding when northbound lanes would reopen.

The batteries continued burning beyond 5 p.m.

Motorists reported spending hours sitting in place while temperatures soared to around 110 degrees. One southbound driver said he used up nearly an entire tank of gas idling on the freeway before turning around to head back north.

Several ambulances were summoned to the area to assist people suffering from heat-related illness.

"We are actively addressing the needs of motorists stuck without water and experiencing other issues. We strongly recommend that all individuals attempting to travel northbound divert and seek alternate routes as the closure is expected to be extended due to the hazmat and suppression operations related to the truck fire," according to an statement issued by fire officials Friday afternoon.

"Numerous calls for service have been received by our dispatch center from both Interstate 40 and the 15 Freeway. These include individuals exhibiting medical conditions and heat-related emergencies," the statement continued. "In response, county fire has brought additional ambulances and paramedic fire apparatus to the area to address these calls."

"Expect major delays," the CHP said via social media.

More:Big rig fire on 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass snarls morning commute

Anyone able to was urged to avoid the area and take alternative routes, such as the 40 Freeway.

Officials also urged motorists not to attempt to take dirt roads alongside the freeway to get around the traffic. "Vehicles often get stuck when redirected by digital maps," the agency added.

Madmartagen on July 27th, 2024 at 17:07 UTC »

I was caught in this yesterday. Headed to Vegas so wife could attend a Mariah Carey concert. Traffic was rerouted at Barstow to the 40E and then to the 95N. The 40 was a shit show. Bumper to bumper all the way 134 miles from Barstow to Needles with cars breaking down, small accidents and road construction at the end towards Needles. People had to pull over to piss or shit cause there weren’t any places to stop and eat. Exits were few and far between. The 40 is two lanes on each side and the 15 was I think 4 lanes each, so it was crammed, but at the east end of the 40 they had closed a single lane for about 100 yards causing this massive backlog. As soon as we passed this closed lane just before the 95, traffic opened up and we went from bumper to bumper to hitting 70 mph all the way to Vegas. The trip is usually 4 hours, but we made it in 10. Everyone missed the concert.

doublestitch on July 27th, 2024 at 16:48 UTC »

People don't realize how much freight reaches the US through the Port of Long Beach. The bottlenecks at the Red Sea and the Panama Canal and the Port of Baltimore have been routing more vessels than usual to Los Angeles.

One highway closure like this can cause delivery delays across a broad swath of merchandise, across the country.

edited to expand

Since most media coverage on shipping is spotty and limited to military conflicts or disasters, a good source on this topic is the YouTube channel What's Going on with Shipping by Sal Marcagliano. Sal is a legitimate topic expert: a former merchant marine who's a professor at Campbell University and an adjunct professor at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

He's got an engaging style and covers aspects of international shipping that matter to consumers and industry but which don't get the notice of the 'if it bleeds it leads' news media.

Hiero808 on July 27th, 2024 at 16:31 UTC »

9 hours closed on a Friday with temperatures around 110.