Vehicle Fires Blamed On I-10 Delays In Coachella Valley

COACHELLA, CA — Delays on eastbound Interstate 10 in Coachella Monday night were due to a burning tractor-trailer that caught fire and ignited a blaze in the freeway's center divider. A fire Tuesday morning on the same side of the interstate is also causing delays.

Tuesday's vehicle fire was reported by Caltrans around 9:30 a.m. on eastbound I-10 at Smokey Gulch in Coachella. An emergency closure of the Number 2 lane was underway for an unknown duration, the agency reported.

Monday around 8:15 p.m. firefighters needed more than an hour to extinguish a fire that broke out near the Dillon Road on-ramp on the freeway.

The truck's driver reported the big rig was on fire. Firefighters arrived about 8:20 p.m. and found a commercial tractor trailer fully involved in flames, according to the Riverside County Fire Department/Cal Fire.

Flames from the truck sparked a brush fire in the center divider of the freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The fire was extinguished about 9:40 p.m., but crews remained on scene for about two hours, a department official said.

The No. 2 lane of the freeway was blocked for an unknown duration, the CHP said.

No injuries were immediately reported and the cause of the fire was under investigation.