A big rig erupted in flames after crashing on the 710 Freeway in Lynwood early Friday, leaving the female driver dead and shutting down two lanes on the roadway for more than six hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. on the northbound 710 Freeway at the Imperial Highway, the CHP’s incident log stated.
The big rig went off the freeway, hit a tree and “exploded,” according to the incident log.
A witness who was driving home said he heard the explosion after the vehicle burst into flames.
“I see this big rig go straight to the right.I pull over over there, see it burst in flames,” Irving Pacheco said. “And then all of a sudden it just blows up, you just hear a big loud ‘boom’ and you see it burst into flames even more.”
By the time fire crews had arrived, the cab of the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames, and the surrounding brush had caught fire.
It took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the blaze once they arrived on scene.
The unidentified female driver of the semi was killed in the fiery crash, authorities said.
A SigAlert was issued around 2:30 a.m. and the Nos. 3 and 4 lanes would be closed until further notice, the CHP tweeted.
The lanes were closed for more than six hours as crews worked to clean up the burned-out cab, which remained on the scene as of 8 a.m.
CHP reopened the lanes at about 8:45 a.m.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.