5 Freeway shut down in LA after semi truck hauling Teslas catches fire

A semi truck hauling Teslas caught fire on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles over the weekend, forcing the closure of the highway. 

The fire was reported at 5:35 p.m. on Saturday, August 16th on the southbound 5 Freeway north of Balboa Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. 

According to ABC 7, the semi truck was hauling Teslas when the truck apparently caught fire. The truck driver was able to pull onto the shoulder next to the truck lane, but the fire soon spread to the cars. 

Officials were forced to shut down all southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway due to toxic smoke and intensity of the flaming lithium ion batteries. Traffic was rerouted to the northbound 14 Freeway. 

The truck driver was able to escape the semi truck. At least six of the eight Tesla cars were burned in the fire. Motorists were told to keep away from the toxic smoke if possible. 

The fire burned for about four hours, and cleanup of the charred vehicles took about three more hours. No further information has been released.