Semi Truck Overturns, Catches Fire, Hangs Off Edge of Freeway in DTLA

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A tractor trailer rolled over, caught fire and came to rest hanging over the edge of the eastbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway in downtown Los Angeles this morning.

The crash occurred about 3:35 a.m. near the Santa Fe Avenue exit, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in the semi in about 45 minutes and create a larger fall zone as the tractor portion of the rig was slipping, the Los Angeles Fire Department's Margaret Stewart said.

Flames had threatened a nearby commercial building, but it was defended from damage, she said.

The driver of the truck was able to get out of the rig before firefighters arrived and was not hurt. One patient who was not in the truck was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, Stewart said.

All eastbound lanes of the Santa Monica Freeway near Santa Fe Avenue were closed until about 6 a.m., when the Nos. 1 and 2 lanes were reopened. Efforts were continuing to remove the wreckage, the CHP reported.

Photo: Getty Images


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