Fiery, deadly wreck snarls Interstate 5 in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fiery collision Tuesday involving two big trucks and several smaller vehicles killed one person and injured 10 others while triggering a massive traffic jam on Interstate 5 in Los Angeles.

One of the injured was in critical condition, and the other nine had minor injuries, said Brian Humphrey, a Fire Department spokesman.

The person killed was big-rig driver, authorities said.

A dog also was killed.

Flames initially raged through the wreckage strewn across the southbound lanes. There was also a damaged car and trailer on the other side of the freeway divider.

Paramedics triaged the injured and took them away in ambulances.

Most of one tractor-trailer and the cab of a tanker truck were obliterated by the time Los Angeles and suburban Glendale firefighters extinguished the fire.

A small sedan was left wedged under the remains of the big-rig trailer, and a pickup truck was perched partially atop the center divider wall.

It took seven hours before the entire freeway was open again.

California Highway Patrol Officer Ryan Bejar said the cause of the wreck was under investigation.

The crash occurred on a section of I-5 dubbed the Golden State Freeway between landmark Griffith Park and the Los Angeles River.

Interstate 5 is part of web of interconnected freeways in the Los Angeles region and is a corridor for long-distance trucking and travel as well as heavy commuter traffic.

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AP reporter John Antczak contributed to this report.

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