Watch CBS News

Big Rig Carrying Frozen French Fries Catches Fire On I-80

APPLEGATE (CBS13) - A big rig fire created a slick mess on Interstate 80 east of Auburn on Tuesday.

The big rig carrying frozen French fries was headed to Modesto when the brakes of the trailer caught fire and quickly spread to the rest of the trailer, forcing the driver to pull over near Applegate.

Two of the eastbound lanes were closed for several hours as crews cleaned the greasy mess off the road.

"This is actually a fairly common place for it to happen. They get hot coming over the summit, and as they start breaking down here, the fire catches and off it goes," said a fire official.

The driver was not injured in the incident.

The freeway has reopened.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.