Container of lithium batteries still burning off I-15

A container of six lithium batteries continues to burn just off of Interstate 15 near Baker, California, three days after an overturned truck caught fire and wreaked havoc on the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Crews have pushed the 30-foot container over 100 feet away from the interstate into the desert and built up blockage around it so that it cannot be seen, officer Dan Olivas said.

The semi-truck transporting the lithium batteries overturned Friday morning and caught fire, prompting a full closure of northbound Interstate 15. The truck has been transported off the scene, Olivas said, and he did not have its current location. The driver of the vehicle was not injured and has not been charged.

The batteries were on their way to a solar farm in Wisconsin, Officer Shane Hernandez said.

A hazmat team is monitoring the burn, but Olivas said the team does not have an estimate for when it would be extinguished. Fires involving lithium batteries are particularly hazardous because they produce chemicals and toxic gases, which made it essential to handle the situation with extreme caution, fire officials have said.

The only way the fire will extinguish is by burning itself out, which could be days or weeks, according to Hernandez.

The main freeway link between Las Vegas and Southern California reopened early Sunday morning.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@review journal.com.