Trash truck engulfed in flames on 5 Freeway, causing lane closures, traffic nightmare
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Set us as preferred A trash truck traveling southbound on Interstate 5 in the San Fernando Valley caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, prompting multiple lane closures.The incident was reported at about 3:10 p.m.
on the southbound 5 Freeway near the Osborne Street on-ramp in Arleta, according to California Highway Patrol logs.The agency identified the truck as a city of Los Angeles sanitation truck.
The vehicle had “heavy flames” underneath it, and the driver was seen outside it with a fire extinguisher, according to the agency.Shortly after 4 p.m., the CHP said multiple drivers stuck in traffic were making U-turns to go the wrong way and exit off the on-ramp, according to the logs.A CHP log from about 3:45 p.m.
said all southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed.By about 4:15 p.m., it began reopening some lanes.As of 4:20 p.m., several lanes remained closed.Tuesday is election day, meaning that the traffic jams could have caused headaches for some last-minute voters.
In California, any voter who is in line at 8 p.m., when polls are scheduled to close, is allowed to vote.California How to find the shortest line at your nearest polling or voter center on election day.The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
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Follow UsIris Kwok is a breaking news reporter at the Los Angeles Times.She was a 2025-26 reporting fellow at The Times and previously covered the environment at Berkeleyside.
She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where she studied polit...