Traffic on Interstate 5 in San Joaquin County is heavily congested Wednesday morning after a fiery multi-vehicle crash involving a big rig.
California Highway Patrol logs indicate the crash was reported north of Stockton on northbound I-5 at the Highway 12 off-ramp around 5:34 a.m.
Details of the crash have not been confirmed, but the Caltrans traffic map as of 7 a.m. shows traffic jams between Highway 12 and Hammer Lane.
KCRA 3’s Mike Teselle arrived on scene shortly before 7:20 a.m. and observed a large burned truck and a pickup truck with apparent signs of damage. Three other burned vehicles could be seen. CHP confirmed a total of four vehicles were involved in the crash.
CHP told TeSelle that everyone involved in the crash was able to escape with no more than minor injuries.
CHP has issued a SigAlert in connection with this accident, meaning closures or extended delays are expected. As of 8:25 a.m., Caltrans said lanes No. 1 and 2 were reopened, but lane No. 3 remained closed. There is no estimated reopening time for this route.
See road conditions here.
KCRA 3 is working to gather details on what led to the reported accident. A CHP officer at the scene said while the cause is unconfirmed, it could have been a lane changing issue.
TeSelle spoke with the driver of the large truck, Amrit Singh, who said he was carrying mail. Singh said a vehicle in front of him moved into the left lane and he was unable to stop in time, causing the large vehicle to slide off the road. Singh said he got out of the big truck and helped others out of the vehicles before the fire spread.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, God, everyone be safe,” Singh said.
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