ASHLAND, Ore. — A semi-truck on fire along I-5 south of Ashland has prompted authorities to shut down the northbound lanes, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Firefighters and traffic crews responded to reports of the truck fire shortly before 6 p.m. ODOT said that traffic crews and Oregon State Police closed the northbound lanes of I-5 at milepost 1, near the California border, to halt traffic headed toward the fire. The truck fire itself was near Exit 11, close to Emigrant Lake.
The truck was believed to be full of paper products, ODOT said. Pictures from the scene show that the truck and trailer were completely destroyed by the flames.
Natalie Weber with the Oregon Department of Forestry said that fire crews from both ODF and Fire District 5 are on the scene, and the wildland portion of the fire has been knocked down.
ODF later confirmed that embers from the fire ignited roughly an acre of surrounding brush along the side of the freeway. The grass fire is considered contained, and fire crews are working on mop-up.
ODOT estimates that one lane of I-5 northbound will be open by 7:30 p.m. as crews work to clear the burning debris. It may take some time for the traffic backup to clear.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more details as they emerge.
Source: https://bit.ly/2TF2KbH