Truck fire and fuel leak snarls freeway traffic, closes rail service in Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to an accident on the southbound side of Highway 101 just south of Milpas Street involving an overturned cement truck that caught fire.
The accident was called in just before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, and triggered a fuel leak and sparked a small brush fire.
Large traffic back-ups were reported by 2 p.m., and the center and right southbound lanes were blocked off at 2:30 p.m., according to CalTrans.
The left lane was still open at the time, but traffic was moving slowly, said CalTrans spokesman Jim Shivers.
The CHP said that the center lane had re-opened just before 3:30 p.m., but the southbound Milpas Street onramp had also been closed off at that time.
US 101 S/B Down to 1 Lane at Milpas Street. Cement Truck Roll-Over & Fire. Lanes are Opening Up Slowly. CHP, SB City Fire, and SBPD on Scene. Expect Delays. pic.twitter.com/RXIuBlogB9
— Santa Barbara Police (@SB_Police) March 23, 2022
According to the CHP website, the accident is near the railroad tracks, and shut down train service for a time. Railroad traffic was able to resume by 2:30 p.m., according to Amtrak
A piece of debris from the truck involved apparently flew off the vehicle and damaged a car parked at the Santa Barbara Zoo.
A tow truck is on scene.
We'll update this story as more information comes in.
