Federal Express Truck, Contents Burn
A Federal Express truck carrying a load of car parts caught fire and burned Wednesday morning, closing one lane on the Ventura Freeway and causing a minor traffic jam, officials said.
The truck was traveling north on the freeway about 8:30 a.m. when the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine, Dave Cockrill of the California Highway Patrol said.
The driver pulled the truck over just south of Hampshire Road in Thousand Oaks and the smoke turned to flames, Cockrill said. The driver got out of the vehicle only to watch the truck and its contents burn, Cockrill said.
Traffic backed up a few miles to Lindero Canyon Road, while Ventura County firefighters extinguished the blaze. The cleanup required the closing of one lane for two hours, Cockrill said.
Firefighters and officials from Federal Express have not determined an estimate of damages, Capt. Norm Stafford of Ventura County Fire Station 31 said.
Company officials could not be reached on whether the truck was also carrying overnight mail.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
