A fire broke out in a garbage truck traveling southbound on Interstate 5 in the San Fernando Valley Tuesday afternoon, closing multiple lanes.
The incident occurred on southbound Highway 5 near the Osborne Street on-ramp in Arleta around 3:10 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol logs. The agency identified the truck as a City of Los Angeles sanitation truck. There were “intense flames” underneath the vehicle and the driver was outside holding a fire extinguisher, according to the agency.
Just after 4 p.m., the CHP said multiple drivers stuck in traffic made a U-turn and went the wrong way, taking the on-ramp, records show.
A CHP log around 3:45 p.m. showed all southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed. Some lanes began to reopen around 4:15 p.m.
As of 4:20 p.m., multiple lanes were still closed.
Tuesday is Election Day, which means traffic jams could cause headaches for some last-minute voters. In California, any voter in line when polls close at 8 p.m. can cast a ballot.