Truck fire results in small oil spill

A furniture-hauling truck caught fire as it made its way through the Grapevine on Friday morning, spilling about 10 gallons of engine oil and prompting a response by firefighters specially trained in handling hazardous materials.

Shortly after 4:20 a.m., the cab of a semi hauling furniture along the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 caught fire about 3 miles north of Lake Hughes Road.

“The call came in for a semi with its cab fully involved,” said Sky Cornell, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The truck driver was not injured. Firefighters who got to the scene at 4:31 a.m. reported engine oil leaking from the burning truck.

The first of two Health HazMat units were dispatched to the incident at 5:25 a.m., Cornell said. The second HazMat crew responded an hour later.

“About 10 gallons of engine oil leaked,” he said, noting the spill was contained on a dirt portion of the right shoulder of I-5.

A Hazardous Materials Spill Report on the incident filed with the Governor’s Office Emergency Services lists 9 gallons spilled.

“A mechanical problem occurred in the engine compartment of a freight tractortrailer,” the OES report states.

“The incident resulted in a vehicle fire and a motor oil release. The local fire department and Caltrans are on-scene. The fire has been extinguished, and a cleanup is in progress,” the report concludes.

A Sigalert was issued during the course of the cleanup and lifted at 9 a.m.

Caltrans units and Health HazMat crews were still at the scene as of 11 a.m.