3 dead in fiery crash on 10 Freeway in Ontario. Man arrested on suspicion of DUI

At least three people were killed and four injured in a fiery eight-vehicle collision on the 10 Freeway, resulting in a multilane closure that snarled rush-hour traffic in Ontario, authorities said.

The collision took place around 1:10 p.m. when a semitruck failed to come to a stop as traffic was slowing down on the westbound 10 Freeway near the 15 Freeway interchange, according to Officer Joe Garcia, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson.

The truck driver, a 21-year-old man, was arrested by the CHP on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, Garcia said.

The crash caused an eight-vehicle pileup, involving four semitrucks and four passenger cars, one of which was engulfed in flames. Three people were pronounced dead at the scene and four were transported to local hospitals for treatment, Garcia said. No information was available Tuesday night on their condition.

Law enforcement officers investigate wreckage at the scene of the collision on the 10 Freeway in Ontario on Tuesday afternoon.

(OnScene.TV)

All westbound lanes with the exception of the two FasTrak lanes remained closed as of 9 p.m., as did the transition roads from the 15 Freeway to the 10 Freeway westbound, Garcia said. There was no estimate on when the westbound lanes would reopen, and commuters were urged to seek alternative routes.

Jason Calmelat witnessed the crash and told KTLA that his first reaction was “somebody just died.”

“The red truck was traveling at a high rate of speed when everyone else was stopped,” Calmelat told the station. “He didn’t hit his brakes, he didn’t try to slow down, he just went full force into the back of another truck, crushing two other cars.”

One of the passenger vehicles “exploded on impact,” sending a “massive fireball” into the air, he said.