Rig crashes, spills 8000 gallons of fuel in massive LA freeway fire

A Los Angeles area freeway, closed due to a massive fire from a fuel spill, was hours away from re-opening late Sunday, transportation officials said. The I-710 freeway in Commerce, south of Los Angeles, was shut down in both directions for about 90 minutes Sunday after a big-rig crashed into a guard rail on a bridge over the freeway, burst into flames as it dangled from the bridge, and spilled 8,000 gallons of fuel. Fire spread along the freeway as the fuel flowed. Some of the fuel reached a road that runs parallel to the freeway and at least two parked trucks were incinerated, the Los Angeles Times reported. Northbound lanes of the freeway were closed for about 90 minutes after the crash, which occurred about 9:30 a.m. PDT. Two southbound lanes were cleared by Sunday evening and the California Department of Transportation said the freeway should be operating normally for the Monday morning rush hour. The Times reported a California Highway Patrol incident log indicated the driver may have lost control of the big-rig because of a blowout. The truck driver -- who managed to get out of the cab before the explosion -- sustained critical injuries, fire department officials said. One person, who may have been on a nearby street, sustained what officials called moderate injuries, KTLA-TV, Los Angeles reported.