All lanes of Interstate 15 to Las Vegas that were closed due to big rig accident have reopened, CHP says

All lanes of Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas that were closed for 48 hours due to a big rig accident that created a chemical hazard have reopened, the California Highway Patrol said.

The northbound side of the heavily traveled highway in San Bernardino County had been closed since early Friday morning, when a big rig carrying lithium batteries overturned, caught fire and created a hazmat situation — and a traffic nightmare stretching for miles in the desert heat.

Saturday evening, the truck was still smoldering, but by nightfall the fire had been extinguished, according to the CHP.

“I-15 is now fully open and moving across all lanes in both directions of travel,” the agency said hours later in a statement posted on the social media platform X. “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.”

After the northbound lanes of I-15 were closed Friday, many travelers turned to alternate routes such as the 40 Freeway. But the desolate route that runs southeast from Barstow quickly clogged up.

In a flurry of social media posts, people complained about being stuck in standstill traffic while baking in 100-degree heat. Many wrote that authorities had greatly mishandled the situation by failing to warn people to steer clear of congested roads, and said time estimates on GPS maps were incorrect. They described potentially dangerous conditions with cars overheating, or running out of gas or electric charge. Other roadway alternatives, such as the State Route 118, were also reportedly congested.

The single-vehicle big-rig crash occurred shortly after 6 a.m. Friday near the 15’s Afton Road exit, between Barstow and Baker in San Bernardino County. Northbound traffic had since been rerouted in the area to share the freeway’s southbound lanes, the CHP said. Southbound lanes were initially closed after the crash as well, but reopened Saturday morning, officials said.

Multiple attempts were made to move the truck’s hazardous container from the freeway shoulder to open land using heavy equipment from the San Bernardino County Fire District, the department said Saturday morning on X.

“However, the container’s weight, exceeding 75,000 pounds, has made these efforts unsuccessful so far,” fire officials said.

The freeway closure was necessary, the agency said, because “lithium-ion fires are particularly hazardous due to the chemicals released during off-gassing.”

The remote location of the crash made it especially difficult for emergency responders.

“One of the significant challenges in this remote area is the logistics of transporting equipment, personnel, and water to the scene,” fire officials said. “This area of the county is very distant from many of our stations. ... Current traffic conditions have further increased these response times.”

Emergency personnel established a buffer area around the truck’s hazardous container that stretched about a third of a mile, CHP said on Facebook, citing “the inherent danger of the fire and potential inhalation hazard.”