A big rig crash east of Mecca Tuesday sparked a brush fire and left at least one person dead.
The crash was reported at 12:25 p.m. on eastbound 1-10 east of the Cactus City rest stop, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The agency said that the tractor trailer went out of control and off the side of the freeway, rolling over next to an underpass.
No other vehicles were involved.
The trucker was reportedly able to self-extricate from the wreckage before flames spread from the engine compartment to the rest of the big rig, jumping into surrounding brush moments later, authorities said.
Riverside County Fire Department crews reached the location within 20 minutes and encountered a vegetation spot of 10×10 moving at a moderate rate through light brush.
Crews contained the brush fire and will remain at the scene for an additional five hours for mop-up work.
At least one fatality was reported at the scene. The victim’s identity has not yet been released, and it was not immediately clear if the person who died was the driver.
At 1 p.m., CHP officers shut down all westbound lanes of I-10 at Box Canyon Road, about 2.5 miles west of Chiriaco Summit, for public safety. A SigAlert was issued at 1:05 p.m. because of the ensuing traffic jam on the westbound side of the interstate.
Authorities were continuing to investigate the crash.