A trailer full of pork was destroyed Monday afternoon when a semi caught fire on westbound Interstate 8 near the Pine Valley Road on-ramp; the driver got out safely, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The driver had pulled to the right shoulder about 2:10 p.m., and smoke was seen coming from the cab, according to the CHP website. Motorists said he was using a fire extinguisher on flames, which then engulfed the semi.

The fire spread to nearby vegetation, but was quickly extinguished, CHP Officer Robert Catano said.

All westbound lanes were closed and traffic was diverted onto Old Highway 80. One lane was reopened after the fire was out. All lanes were opened by 7 p.m., Caltrans said.


The tractor was destroyed, along with most of the trailer and all of the contents.

“There’s not much of it left,” Catano said of the truck. “Everything front of the third axle is gone.”

The cause of the fire was not yet known, but it was possibly mechanical, Catano said.

Catano said he did not know where the truck was coming from or where it was headed. It was registered in Florida, he said.


The trailer and its contents were destroyed in this fire on April 29, 2015. / Photo by Lakeside Fire Protection District Chief Andy Parr

On April 29, a tractor-trailer loaded with pork caught fire off westbound Interstate 8 in Lakeside, destroying 40,000 pounds of meat. That driver also was able to get out safely. The plastic wrap and oils in the meat helped fuel the flames, a fire official said at the time.