CHP issued a serious traffic alert Tuesday morning after a recycling truck caught fire on Interstate 680 near the Concord border with Pleasant Hill, closing lanes of the highway in both directions for hours.
CHP said the vehicle fire on northbound I-680 south of CA-242 N in Concord has blocked all northbound lanes, as well as the left and center southbound lanes and the northbound lanes of Hwy 242.
According to Contra Costa County Fire, the incident was reported at 9:15 a.m. regarding a fully involved recycling truck fire. Fire officials noted that many of these trucks rely on compressed natural gas, causing firefighters to wait for the gas to burn out before approaching the truck.
Crews said the gas was in the waning stages of burning off, and crews present believe all the natural gas has been burned. However, they have to confirm this and fly a drone over the incident to be sure.
All southbound lanes were reopened around 12:30 p.m. An hour later, all lanes of northbound Highway 242 were closed, along with three lanes of northbound I-680, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Daniel Gilmore.
No injuries were reported and firefighters were stationed on the other side of a highway noise barrier to protect a residential neighborhood in the area, Con Fire spokesman Capt. Chris Toler said.
CHP confirmed the crash was finally cleared and all lanes were reopened as of 4:15 p.m. The duration of the incident was 6 hours and 42 minutes
