LOCAL : Truck Spills Pesticides in Valencia, Causing Massive Traffic Jam on I-5

Traffic on the Golden State Freeway backed up for miles in each direction in Valencia this morning after a pickup truck overturned and spilled possibly dangerous liquid and powder pesticides on the roadway.

The accident, which closed six of the eight lanes of the freeway, occurred about 3 a.m. a mile north of Valencia Boulevard. A northbound pickup driven by Anthony Roy Canton, 24, of Hollywood went out of control and overturned, the California Highway Patrol said.

The truck was carrying several types of industrial pesticides. Four containers spilled onto the roadway before the truck came to a rest on the center divider, CHP Officer Ralph Elvira said.

The CHP closed three lanes on each side of the freeway while a hazardous materials team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded. Traffic slowed to a crawl in the one lane left open in each direction.

An additional lane was opened in each direction shortly after 7 a.m., but thousands of commuters were caught in a traffic jam that stretched north toward Castaic and south to Lyons Avenue. The remaining closed lanes of the freeway were being reopened at about noon.