MISSION HILLS, CA – A big-rig fire quickly spread to nearby brush along the northbound 405 Freeway on Tuesday evening, forcing major lane closures and trapping commuters in heavy delays.
Big-Rig Fire Spreads to Brush
The incident began when a large commercial truck caught fire near the interchange where the northbound 405 Freeway meets the 5 Freeway. The flames quickly leaped from the vehicle into the roadside brush, moving rapidly up the adjacent hillside.
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) deployed both ground crews and water-dropping helicopters to combat the expanding blaze. Firefighters successfully halted the fire’s forward progress shortly after 8:00 p.m.
Severe Gridlock on the 405
The intense firefighting effort forced authorities to shut down nearly all northbound lanes. At the height of the incident, traffic was squeezed entirely into the carpool lane, causing a massive bottleneck.
Gridlock backed up heavily, with significant delays stretching all the way back to the 118 Freeway. Commuters were stuck for hours as crews worked right next to the roadway.
No Injuries Reported
LAFD officials confirmed that despite the intensity of the flames and the proximity to heavy traffic, no injuries were reported. Crews remained on the scene into the night to clear the damaged big-rig and extinguish remaining hot spots along the scorched hillside.
