Container of hazardous materials catches fire, closing crucial highway connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas for over 30 hours

A stretch of the major highway between California and Las Vegas has been closed for more than 30 hours after a tractor trailer carrying hazardous materials overturned and caught on fire.

A stretch of the major highway between California and Las Vegas has been closed for more than 30 hours after a tractor trailer carrying hazardous materials overturned and caught on fire. Officials say a section of the essential highway will remain closed for an “unknown duration” as crews monitor the air for any potential dangerous chemicals and try to move the massive trailer. The truck lost control and overturned onto Interstate 15 near Barstow, California, around 6 a.m. Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The truck was carrying a flatbed trailer containing lithium-ion batteries that detached from the truck and eventually caught on fire. “Due to the lithium-ion, water cannot be added to the fire, the batteries must burn out on their own,” the patrol said. Both northbound and southbound lanes were initially closed due to the potential hazardous situation, but southbound lanes later reopened and northbound lanes remained closed as of Saturday evening. Crews on scene are testing the air quality and will reopen the rest of the lanes when they deem it safe to do so, officials said.