A scary sight: 5,000 pumpkins burn in truck fire on 5 Freeway
Farm assures fans of Halloween it has more to replace those that gave up the ghost.
Oh my gourd. Are those blazing jack-o’-lanterns on the road, or did 5,000 pumpkins go up in flames on the 5 Freeway?
It’s the latter.
Only days before Halloween, a truckload of gourds sizzled on the side of the freeway near the Smokey Bear Road exit south of Lebec after the truck carrying them caught fire around 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to authorities. The California Highway Patrol said nobody was injured.
The pumpkins were headed south from Van Groningen & Sons farm in Manteca to a Los Angeles buyer when the blaze broke out.
When the company’s president, Ryan Van Groningen, heard about the loss of the gourds, he said he was concerned only about the driver of the truck.
“Pumpkins can be replaced, but human lives can’t,” he said.
Halloween enthusiasts who have yet to buy a pumpkin for carving need not worry: Van Groningen said his farm has a scary abundance of pumpkins to replace those lost in the fire.
“In the overall scheme of things, there is definitely plenty more,” he said.
Video taken at the scene shows firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire
Department battling the flames amid the charred orange gourds.
Pumpkins spilled out of the back of the truck, temporarily blocking the exit. Authorities also shut down a lane of the southbound 5 Freeway due to the fire.
It was not immediately clear what had caused the blaze. But on the video, the firefighters seemed to be enjoying themselves, with one first responder smiling and carrying two pumpkins, one in each hand, away from the scene.