Lanes now open after I-10 closure east of Coachella Valley following hazardous cargo fire

DESERT CENTER, Calif. (KESQ) – Traffic lanes were closed for about an hour along Interstate 10 in Coachella at the I-10 State Highway 86 interchange due to a crash and fire east of the Coachella Valley early Friday morning.

California Highway Patrol reported there was a semi-truck with hazardous cargo that caught fire on the freeway at Desert Center near State Route 177 around 5:30 a.m.

The truck was hauling Ammonium Nitrate, which is a typical fertilizer but can also be explosive under exact conditions.

Crews were able to put out a car fire before it could spread to the hazardous materials aboard the tanker truck, according to CHP Public Information Officer David Torres.

The fire department had requested the CHP shut down the freeway on the  eastbound side at the Interstate 10 Highway 86 split and westbound traffic at Cottonwood Springs.

A Sig Alert was issued for lane closures, but was lifted as all lanes were reopened east of the Coachella Valley.