All lanes of I-15 opened following dayslong closure that left drivers stranded between L.A. and Las Vegas

3 months ago 9

All lanes of Interstate 15 that were closed due to an overturned big rig and resulting hazmat situation have been reopened, ending a nearly 48-hour standstill in the middle of the desert.

According to CHP, the crash occurred around 5:57 a.m. Friday morning when a semi carrying lithium batteries overturned and caught fire near the Afton Road exit on the northbound span of the 15 Freeway between Barstow and Baker.

“The collision occurred when the driver of a 2020 Freightliner, trailering a flatbed trailer loaded with a sealed container of six industrial grade lithium-ion batteries, lost control and overturned onto the right shoulder of northbound I-15,” CHP stated in a release issued Saturday night. “Subsequently, the battery container became detached from the flatbed trailer and also rolled onto the right shoulder.”