Drivers recount nightmarish, dayslong traffic backup on I-40 amid truck fire

Northbound I-15 was closed for nearly 44 hours this weekend after a truck carrying large lithium batteries turned over near Baker, Calif., forcing thousands of drivers to take remote portions of I-40 where internet, gas and food were scarce. It reopened Sunday morning.

Las Vegas resident Kevin Speakman said he wasn’t expecting to be stuck in traffic for 14 hours in a car with eight people on his way back from Oceanside, Calif., on Friday.

But after he left the coastal town where he was scattering his father’s ashes last week, he headed back to his home in Las Vegas, where bumper-to-bumper traffic was waiting for him, and thousands of other drivers, on Interstates 40 and 15.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever been to hell before, but that’s how I would describe that,” Speakman said.

Road rage in dead zones

Along the sides of the road, Speakman and other drivers said they saw dozens of people on I-40 east of Barstow walking to gas stations with mile-long lines for food and water. Some would step out of their cars to stretch their legs or switch drivers. Others, shielded by towels and car doors, resorted to relieving themselves on the side of the road when traffic was at a standstill, or trying their luck with portable toilets left over from road construction work near the California-Arizona state line.

“It was like something out of a doomsday movie — like if a nuclear attack happened and everyone was trying to get out of town,” Speakman said.

With traffic not moving, some drivers became more aggressive in an attempt to make it out, according to Henderson resident Joseph Montano, who spent 20 hours in traffic while driving home from Sonoma, Calif.

“There were a few vehicle accidents because people were getting so impatient, they were going on the shoulder of the road and they were just going very fast,” he said. “They would run into cars that had tried to pull out … people started getting road rage.”

And when people needed to call for help, their phone service failed them, said Justin Ford, a Las Vegas resident and co-owner of the local restaurant Yukon Pizza.

“There’s really nothing on radios picking up stations — it was pretty much dead,” he said. “Some areas, you had reception, some areas you didn’t. For three hours, I had no reception.”

Lack of info from CHP

Even when drivers did have reception, Montano said the updates from the San Bernardino Fire Department, which was managing the truck fire, and California Highway Patrol were of little help with informing travelers on road updates.

“I didn’t see any information from CHP when it mattered last night when everyone was stuck,” Montano said. “I support law enforcement and emergency personnel, but I just think that maybe there’s some lessons that can be learned there.”

Jessica Higareda of Las Vegas, who was stuck with her husband and her dog for 11-and-a-half hours on I-40, said she didn’t see any Highway Patrol or any other law enforcement on the road to manage traffic and offer help to those stranded in the heat.

“On Interstate 15 I heard (law enforcement officers) were turning people back around, but on Interstate 40, there was nobody.”

The California Department of Transportation said Sunday that crews were supplying gasoline, water and other assistance to stranded vehicles on I-15 and I-40, including 100 gallons of diesel and 60 gallons of gasoline.

The California State Transportation Agency said Saturday evening on X that the Freeway Service Patrol would provide tow service and fuel/EV charging to travelers in the area.

On Sunday afternoon, Highway Patrol Officer Shane Hernandez said all calls for service to motorists that were related to the road closure have since been resolved.

Speakman said he saw one cop and one fire truck pass but noted he felt that they were unprepared for the situation.

“(The fire truck) wasn’t even attempting to be in the emergency lane, he was just trying to get people to get over — it was like the fire truck didn’t even know what to do,” he said.

Hernandez said the Highway Patrol would be providing an official response to those concerned that the agency did not do enough to help motorists during the crisis in the coming days.

Concerns about fumes

With roads near Baker now reopened, drivers say they’re concerned about the impact of the fumes from the truck fire, which is still being monitored by a hazardous materials team as of Sunday afternoon after crews moved the truck farther away from I-15.

Speakman said he believes the truck fire’s fumes have made him and several other people across the valley feel ill.

“I woke up at 5 a.m with a raging headache, so I really think that there’s some pollution in the air from that fire,” he said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, lithium-ion batteries can release toxic gases or explode when on fire.

Montano said his military background makes him especially concerned about people driving so close to the burning truck on I-15. After being exposed to burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said he wasn’t taking any chances trying to go north of the fire with his 14-year-old daughter in the car.

“I’m 100 percent disabled veteran for all that kind of stuff, so I’m not trying to do that again, or put my daughter or family through that,” he said.

Making it home safe

Ultimately, drivers said they were grateful for the food and water they did bring with them, though some said they wish they had brought more, especially if they had known what they were getting themselves into.

The Nevada Department of Transportation encourages motorists to pack an emergency roadside kit with a cellphone, map, first-aid kit, nonperishable food and water, work gloves, a flashlight, flares, jumper cables, a car jack and repair tools in case of an emergency while driving during the summer in the Mojave Desert.

Higareda said she was grateful to have had some snacks and drinks in the car, but noted she was still starving when she got home.

“It could have been much worse.”

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.