A truck hauling 44,000 pounds of dried chickpeas burst into flames while driving through Death Valley National Park. The tractor trailer was coming down from Daylight Pass and Mud Canyon Road when its breaks overheated setting off a fire.
The driver managed to stay in control and pulled over once he had reached a flat section of road on CA-190. The driver called for help and multiple agencies responded to the fire.
There was some initial concern that the spilled chickpeas might germinate and threaten to become an invasive species of plant but a thorough cleanup and the fact that the Death Valley is the driest place in North America makes the likelihood slim to none.
Death Valley National Park Press Release:
A tractor-trailer carrying 44,000 pounds of dried chickpeas burned up in Death Valley National Park on November 21.
“When a commercial truck has a wreck or catches on fire, we worry about what it will release into the park. However, there’s very little chance that stray chickpeas not cleaned up will become invasive species in the driest place in North America.” -Superintendent Mike Reynolds
The truck’s brakes overheated descending Daylight Pass and Mud Canyon Road, which is closed to commercial truck traffic. The truck driver pulled over soon after reaching flat terrain on CA-190.
The National Park Service (NPS) received notification of the fire around 5:30 am. Death Valley National Park, Caltrans, and California Highway Patrol responded. Two Star Towing removed the wreckage and cleaned up the remaining dried chickpeas.
