Big rig fire snarls traffic on Interstate 5 near Sacramento International Airport
AN APPOINTMENT. WE’RE FOLLOWING BREAKING NEWS RIGHT NOW IN SACRAMENTO. A BIG RIG IS ON FIRE AT I-5 AT AIRPORT BOULEVARD. YOU CAN SEE THAT DARK BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE BIG RIG. IT SOUNDS LIKE CHP. WE’RE GETTING WORD IS GETTING READY TO SHUT DOWN PARTS OF I-5 AS THEY GET THIS FIRE UNDER CONTROL. AND WE’RE LEARNING THAT THERE’S ABOUT 43,000 POUNDS OF RICE INSIDE THAT CONTAINER RIGHT NOW. SO YOU CAN SEE IT’S PRETTY WELL INVOLVED. THE INITIAL REPORTS THAT CAME INTO THE CHP WAS THAT A TIRE WAS ON FIRE, AND THAT WAS AT ABOUT 349, ABOUT 20 MINUTES AGO. AND THE LAST REPORT WE ARE SEEING IS FROM 401, WHERE THEY’RE SHOWING THAT THIS TRUCK IS NOW PRETTY WELL INVOLVED AND THAT IT IS CARRYING RICE. BUT YOU CAN SEE IT’S CERTAINLY IMPACTING TRAFFIC. WE’RE TRYING TO GET A SENSE LOOKING AT THIS CAMERA. IF THIS IS FACING NORTHBOUND WELL IT SAYS IT’S IN SOUTHBOUND I-5. SO SOUTHBOUND COMING FROM WOODLAND RIGHT TOWARD THE AIRPORT BOULEVARD. IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE JUST GETTING READY TO STOP TRAFFIC, BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THAT DARK SMOKE IS LAYING DOWN RIGHT ON TOP OF THE FREEWAY. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE’S NOT GOING TO BE A LOT OF VISIBILITY. IT’S GOING TO BE HARD. SOME PEOPLE STILL TRYING TO DRIVE THROUGH THERE, BUT WE ARE GETTING WORD FROM CHP THAT THEY ARE GETTING READY TO CLOSE I-5 SOUTHBOUND FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THERE. PEOPLE ARE STILL TRYING TO MAKE THEIR WAY THROUGH, AND WE’VE HAD OTHER INCIDENTS. CURTIS AND I THINK ABOUT IT WHERE IT STARTS WITH A TIRE FIRE AND THEN IT SO QUICKLY CAN SPREAD TO THE CONTAINER, RAPIDLY GOES. AND SO THE BIG CONCERN IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, I MEAN, YOU SEE THOSE CARS SNEAKING THROUGH. BUT AT TIMES THAT SMOKE IS GOING ALL THE WAY TO THE GROUND, DROPPING VISIBILITY TO NOTHING. THAT’S WHY IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO GET THE ROAD CLOSED, BECAUSE YOU REMEMBER WE HAD A BRUSH FIRE THAT WAS RIGHT THERE, THE TRACY TRIANGLE, EARLIER THIS YEAR, AND WE HAD A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND WE HAD ACCIDENTS BECAUSE THE SMOKE WAS SO LOW TO THE GROUND, THE VISIBILITY DROPPED AND CARS STARTED CRASHING INTO ONE ANOTHER. SO THE PEOPLE COMING FROM WOODLAND THERE, OF COURSE, THEY’RE TRYING TO GET TOWARD SACRAMENTO AT THIS POINT, BUT CHP IS GETTING TO THE SCENE AND GOING TO SHUT DOWN THIS ROAD UNTIL THE FIREFIGHTERS GET THIS FIRE. AND THOSE FLAMES ARE PRETTY BIG THAT ARE SHOOTING OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE CONTAINER THERE. NOW, IT HASN’T REACHED THE FRONT PART. THE ENGINE OF THIS BIG RIG, BUT THAT COULD BE EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC WHEN IT DOES. BUT YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE FIREFIGHTERS ARE THERE ON SCENE, BUT WE’RE STILL SEEING SOME PRETTY BIG FLAMES SHOOTING OUT OF THIS BIG RIG. AGAIN, THIS IS AT AIRPORT BOULEVARD. SOUTHBOUND I-5 RIGHT IN THE NATOMAS AREA, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY ARE ABLE TO EXTINGUISH SOME OF THOSE FLAMES BECAUSE WE’RE STARTING TO SEE MORE OF THAT LIGHT WHITE SMOKE THAT COMES FROM WHEN THEY’RE EXTINGUISHING FIRE. YOU GOT TO WONDER WHAT GETS A TIRE TO CATCH ON FIRE. DON’T KNOW IF IT WAS A BRAKE SITUATION. DON’T KNOW WHAT IT WAS THAT WOULD CAUSE A TIRE TO CATCH FIRE. BUT CLEARLY IT SPREAD TO THAT CONTAINER ON THE BACK OF THAT BIG RIG, WHICH IS NOW FULLY INVOLVED, AND KICKING UP ALL THAT SMOKE INTO THE AIR. YEAH. AND SO PEOPLE ARE STILL TRYING TO INCH BY. BUT AGAIN, WE DID GET WORD FROM CHP THAT THEY WERE GOING TO BE CLOSING PART OF THIS DOWN. AND WE JUST LOST OUR CALTRANS CAMERA. MAYBE WE’LL PULL IT BACK UP HERE. AND SO I’M NOT SURE WHEN THEY’RE GOING TO DO THAT. BUT YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT VERY SAFE TO DRIVE THAT CLOSE NEXT TO A BIG RIG THAT’S ON FIRE, ESPECIALLY AS THOSE FLAMES ARE STARTING TO MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE FRONT OF THE CAB WHERE THE ENGINE IS AND THAT SORT OF THING. LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, ACCORDING TO CHP AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THERE, 43,000 POUNDS OF RICE INSIDE THAT CONTAINER BURNING RIGHT NOW. AND WE’RE SEEING A LITTLE LESS FLAME THERE AND A LITTLE LESS SMOKE. BUT YEAH, FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT, IT’S TOUGH TO TELL IF CHP IS THERE ON SCENE. WE SEE FLASHING LIGHTS, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE TWO FIRE VEHICLES THAT ARE THERE. IT’S UNCLEAR FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT WHAT THEY’RE USING TO FIGHT THE FLAMES AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT SMOKE IS NOW TURNING FROM BLACK TO WHITE, WHICH IS AN INDICATION THAT SOMETHING HAS CHANGED WITH THIS PARTICULAR FIRE. INSTEAD OF THAT DARK SMOKE GOING ACROSS THE FREEWAY, WE NOW HAVE A LIGHTER COLOR. NOW WE HAVE BLACK SMOKE AGAIN. YEAH, AND THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT ON THE ROADS TODAY. A LOT OF PEOPLE I NOTICED, YOU KNOW, HEADING HOME AFTER THE HOLIDAYS. IT’S THE END OF A LONG HOLIDAY WEEK FOR A LOT OF FOLKS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS DEFINITELY GOING TO CREATE A BACKUP, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE COMING FROM THE WOODLAND AREA. IF YOU’RE COMING FROM THE AIRPORT. AGAIN, THIS IS AT I-5 SOUTHBOUND AT AIRPORT BOULEVARD, CREATING THOSE MAJOR SLOWDOWNS. WE’RE GETTING A LINE OF BIG RIGS THERE ON THE RIGHT. AND THE NUMBE
Big rig fire snarls traffic on Interstate 5 near Sacramento International Airport
Updated: 4:36 PM PST Jan 2, 2026
A big rig fire put up a thick cloud of black smoke and snarled traffic on some lanes of Interstate 5 on Friday afternoon. The fire could be seen on the traffic cameras around 4 p.m. on southbound I-5 near Airport Boulevard. Caltrans cameras showed a thick plume of black smoke rising from the big rig, with flames coming from the truck’s load. Before emergency vehicles arrived, some drivers appeared to continue through the thick smoke. By 4:30 p.m., the flames appeared to be put out, and smoke had dissipated for the most part. The trailer appeared to be charred and heavily damaged. KCRA 3 reporter Peyton Headlee was at the scene and said traffic was down to one lane in that section of the interstate.California Highway Patrol logs indicate the big rig was hauling a heavy load of rice. KCRA has reached out to several agencies for more information. Follow the latest traffic updates here. See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A big rig fire put up a thick cloud of black smoke and snarled traffic on some lanes of Interstate 5 on Friday afternoon.
The fire could be seen on the traffic cameras around 4 p.m. on southbound I-5 near Airport Boulevard.
Caltrans cameras showed a thick plume of black smoke rising from the big rig, with flames coming from the truck’s load.
Before emergency vehicles arrived, some drivers appeared to continue through the thick smoke.
By 4:30 p.m., the flames appeared to be put out, and smoke had dissipated for the most part. The trailer appeared to be charred and heavily damaged. KCRA 3 reporter Peyton Headlee was at the scene and said traffic was down to one lane in that section of the interstate.
California Highway Patrol logs indicate the big rig was hauling a heavy load of rice.
KCRA has reached out to several agencies for more information.
Follow the latest traffic updates here.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel