‘It’s about lunch time.’ Truck with 41,000 pounds of beef catches fire, CA officials say

Enough beef to make tens of thousands of hamburgers went up in flames Monday as a truck caught on fire, California officials said.

A tractor-trailer caught fire Monday afternoon and shut down both sides of Interstate 8 between Los Coches and Lake Jennings, the Lakeside Fire Protection District said on Facebook. More than 40,000 pounds of beef was lost in the fire, officials said.

“The truck was hauling over 41,000 lbs of raw beef,” the Lakeside Fire Protection District said. “The fire was extinguished and freeway lanes were opened back up.”

The breaks on the truck overheated and caused the fire, officials said. No one was injured, making the beef the only loss.

“It’s about lunch time,” Lakeside Fire Protection District Division Chief John Hisaw said, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. “So as they pulled up here, the guys are already getting hungry now.”

This story was originally published July 7, 2020 at 7:14 PM with the headline "‘It’s about lunch time.’ Truck with 41,000 pounds of beef catches fire, CA officials say."