Big Rig Catches Fire On I-15 In North SD County; Driver Injured

NORTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY -- A semi truck driver suffered minor injuries Thursday morning when his big rig caught fire on Interstate 5 in Encinitas, authorities said.

Dispatchers received a call around 5:30 a.m. from a person who reported seeing flames coming from the rear wheels of a semi truck on northbound Interstate 5 just south of Leucadia Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The man driving the semi truck pulled over, got out and went to check on the flames, but one of the rear tires burst and some of the tire pieces hit him in the face, Encinitas Fire Battalion Chief Mike Spaulding said.

The driver, whose name and age were not immediately available, was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor facial lacerations, Spaulding said.

When firefighters arrived they found the flames had spread from the rear axle to the middle of the trailer, which contained strawberries in plastic boxes. The flames were knocked down by 6 a.m., Spaulding said.

CHP officers shut down the right two lanes of northbound I-5 just south of Leucadia Boulevard until 7:10 a.m., CHP Officer Tommy Doerr said. The right two lanes were shut down again to tow the semi truck, Doerr said.

The fire's cause was under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.