Truck blaze shuts highway

A tanker-truck fire Tuesday morning shut a 17-mile stretch of Highway 20 in the Coast Range foothills of Colusa County.

The route reopened in the early afternoon after a 2 1/2- hour closure, but the California Highway Patrol continued to seal off the highway from Williams to Highway 16in the afternoon, forcing lengthy detours in the region.

The blaze was reported at 9:50 a.m. in the Mitchell Flats area of the county. Smoke was visible for at least 30 miles and spot grass fires were reported near the accident. Several fire departments responded and contained the flames about two hours later, CHP reported.

CHP and Williams police blocked Highway 20 at E street in Williams. Traffic on eastbound Highway 20 was diverted onto Highway 16 near the Lake County border. Officers reopened one lane of the highway at 12:30 p.m.

Caltrans engineers spent the afternoon checking the pavement to decide whether fire damage would require a longer closure of Highway 20, CHP Officer Bob Kays said.

The 2007 Peterbilt tanker was carrying about 7,500 gallons
of kerosene, according to Mike Babcock, sales manager of the truck's owner, Rinehart Oil Inc. of Ukiah. He said the driver, who was hauling fuel back to Ukiah from a Sacramento depot, was unhurt and no other vehicles were involved.