When the Bay Area Telegraph passed by, the car was already entirely engulfed in flames, and a giant plume of smoke was drifting from the highway over nearby roads and neighborhoods in Oakland.
A serious car fire snarled traffic on Highway 24 in the late afternoon on Sunday. CHP reports that the fire started around 4:46pm, in the righthand lane of Eastbound Highway 24, by the Old Tunnel Road offramp.
We happened to be in the area, and saw the blaze. A sedan appeared to be totally engulfed in flames on the right shoulder.
A fire engine was on scene, and blocked the right two lanes, as firefighters directed drivers around the crash with a swinging flashlight.
Thankfully, the wind was blowing from the North, so the smoke drifted away from the travel lanes. It didn’t look great for the air quality in the surrounding Oakland neighborhoods, though.
Traffic snarled up heading into the tunnel, but this being Sunday, thankfully the effects weren’t as bad as if the fire had happened during a weekday commute.
We don’t see any reports of injuries, and no ambulance was on the scene, so we’re assuming the driver made it out okay.
No official notifications beyond the CHP logs and a 511 traffic alert, but make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter and we’ll update you if we hear more.
