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

Air quality is being monitored along the affected stretch of the 15 Freeway after a big rig carrying lithium batteries overturned and caught fire. 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. 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. “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.”