Truck Catches Fire, Ties Up Freeway

The westbound Simi Valley Freeway was briefly closed Saturday afternoon and traffic had to proceed through two lanes for about an hour after a truck carrying about a ton of hay caught fire, authorities said.

The truck was traveling westbound on the 118 east of the Stearns Street off-ramp in Simi Valley about 3:40 p.m. on the first full day of the holiday weekend when the hay it was carrying caught on fire, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The driver managed to pull the truck onto the shoulder and exit without injury before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The Ventura County Fire Department extinguished the blaze shortly afterward.

All three lanes were closed at about 3:55 p.m. A lane was opened about 20 minutes later and another lane was opened within an hour. All lanes were open by 6:45 p.m., authorities said. The two Yosemite Avenue highway connectors were closed briefly while authorities removed debris.

The truck was eventually towed away, and the cause of the fire was unknown, authorities said.