A big rig somehow caught fire on the shoulder of I-580 early Friday morning in Livermore, near the Altamont Pass, and the fire spread to an adjacent hillside.
The fire began around 4:45 am, as the East Bay Times reports, with the big rig becoming engulfted on westbound I-580 just east of North Flynn Road.
As KTVU reports, CHP initially put out an alert to expect delays on the westbound side of the freeway, saying that the second lane remained open to traffic. But after the fire spread to nearby vegetation, the CHP announced that all westbound lanes were closed due to smoke coming from the grass fire.
Drivers were being directed off the freeway onto Altamont Pass Road and Corral Hollow Road.
🚨Westbound I-580 Closure. This is how it started this morning on the Altamont. Big Rig fire and high winds…Fire personnel are still working on extinguishing the fire. 7/18/25 https://t.co/YnLetmOnsv pic.twitter.com/0WTLWVkO9S
— CHP Dublin Area (@CHPDublin) July 18, 2025
The wind-fed fire grew to three acres but was reportedly contained by around 7 am.
CHP subsequently announced that one lane was back open as of 10 am.
The cause of the fire on the big rig is still unknown.
On Friday, July 18, 2025, the Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD), in unified command with Cal Fire, on scene of an 18-wheeler that caught fire on WB 580 east of Flynn/Grantline Road.
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) July 18, 2025
The fire spread to the vegetation.
Forward progress has been stopped. WB lanes closed. pic.twitter.com/oQosgfVScF
