One lane reopens on south 5 Freeway near Norwalk after big rig fire

One lane has reopened on the southbound 5 Freeway after all lanes were temporarily closed this morning when a big rig caught fire just south of Florence Avenue near Norwalk, authorities said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire since the big rig did not appear to have been involved in a collision, according to aerial television footage. The burned out trailer had jackknifed across three lanes.

The incident occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m., KTLA-TV reported.

Flames from the big rig spread to a nearby construction site, prompting a SigAlert around 6 a.m. As of 8:15 a.m., one lane had been reopened.

The freeway was expected to fully reopen after 9 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

No injuries were reported.

Southbound traffic was being diverted from the freeway at Lakewood Boulevard or the 605 Freeway as authorities worked to guide vehicles stuck behind the big rig off the 5, CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said.

Another fiery big rig crash on the 710 Freeway near Lynwood early Friday prompted the closure of two northbound lanes shortly after 1:30 a.m. The driver of that truck was killed, authorities said.