News: I-5 Fatal big rig accident and vegetation fire

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

News: I-5 Fatal big rig accident and vegetation fire

Southbound Interstate 5 has reopened at 8:45 am this morning through the Westly area after a fiery crash last night that claimed the life of a truck driver, according to the California Highway Patrol. Southbound Interstate 5 was closed and motorists were detoured around the site until 8:45 a.m. while officers investigated the accident and crews cleared debris.

The accident also started a small vegetation fire to the west of the accident near an Orchard which Cal Fire quickly controlled due to the wild land exposures to the west...

During the initial response a Cal Fire BC was heard on radio remarking
"Its a real mess keep everything coming"
That everything was a Cal Fire full wildland fire response and included Dozer Transport 1642 one of the first units on scene in the remote area who reported to Morgan Hill headquarters that the vegetation fire was a strip fire on the west side of 5 but contained by an orchard, which was crucial as the west side of I5 has an exposure of tens of thousands of wildland acres in a very rugged dry territory.

The accident happened about 10:40 last night, CHP officer Tom Killian said. He said a 2003 Freightliner having mechanical problems was parked on the shoulder, partially blocking the interstate.

The driver and another truck driver were trying to work on the problem when a 1995 Freightliner driven by a 50-year-old Sacramento man collided with the back of the stopped rig and tore the trailer in half.

Both cabs burst into flames, said investigating officer Kris Glenn.

Two people inside the parked cab were able to escape but the 50-year-old Sacramento man died either from the impact or the fire that engulfed his truck, Killian said. The man's name was not released pending family notification.

The driver of the parked big rig was identified as 49-year-old Li Ci Li of Oakland. Killian said investigators were looking at whether her rig had its lights on; investigators found signs that reflective triangles had been put out to signal the stopped truck

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Wednesday, May 7, 2008