Sylmar, California – A deadly crash involving a semi-truck and an SUV led to a fiery scene on the 5 Freeway in Sylmar late Thursday night, leaving two people dead and causing an hours-long shutdown of northbound lanes.
The collision occurred around 10:41 p.m. near the Roxford Street off-ramp, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic report. Authorities say the SUV rear-ended the big rig before catching fire.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that two individuals died at the scene. Their names have not yet been released to the public.
A nearby driver who witnessed the incident recalled the moments after the crash.
“I ran over and signaled the truck driver to grab a fire extinguisher. But by the time he got to it and began spraying, the SUV was already engulfed in flames. Even after using up the extinguisher, the fire kept burning,” he explained.
Multiple lanes on the northbound 5 remained closed into the early morning hours as crews responded to the wreck. By 5:30 a.m. Friday, all lanes had been cleared and reopened to traffic.
Source: ABC7
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