Van Hauling Fireworks Catches Fire on I-15 Near California-Nevada Border
BARSTOW, Calif., July 3 (UPI) — A van carrying a load of fireworks caught fire and set off a spectacular display on Interstate 15 near California’s border with Nevada Thursday afternoon, authorities said.
The box van was traveling on I-15 near Barstow when the flames suddenly began, theLos Angeles Times reported. The accident slowed traffic along the busy freeway, which is the main artery between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
The California Highway Patrol said the van was in the southbound lanes when the fire started, approximately five miles from the Nevada border.
“The fireworks were exploding inside,” San Bernardino County Fire Department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez said in the Times report. “The truck burned to the ground.”
Officials said all the southbound lanes of I-15 were closed for about an hour whilefirefighters battled the flames, causing traffic to back up into Nevada.
Authorities are also searching for the driver of the van, who fled the scene before the CHP arrived. It wasn’t immediately known why the driver left, or whether the fireworks in the van were legal for residential use in California.
Severe drought and wildfire danger across California has led to increased risks involving fireworks for the Fourth of July holiday.
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