Truck hauling 44,000 pounds of chickpeas catches fire in Death Valley, rangers say
A commercial truck hauling more than 20 tons of chickpeas caught fire in Death Valley National Park, rangers say.
The tractor-trailer was carrying 44,000 pounds of dried chickpeas as it made its descent down Daylight Pass and Mud Canyon Road on Thursday, Nov. 21, the National Park Service said in a Friday, Nov. 29, news release
“The truck’s brakes overheated,” igniting a fire, according to rangers.
Upon reaching flat terrain, the truck’s driver pulled over on California State Route 190, rangers said.
Rangers, along with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol, responded to the area after being notified about the fire at about 5:30 a.m., the park said.
Smoke billows from the truck, surrounded by chickpeas scattered on the ground, as firefighters battle the blaze, photos from the national park show.
After rescuers doused the fire, a local towing company hauled away the wreckage and “cleaned up the remaining dried chickpeas,” rangers said.
“When a commercial truck has a wreck or catches on fire, we worry about what it will release into the park,” Superintendent Mike Reynolds said in the news release. “However, there’s very little chance that stray chickpeas not cleaned up will become invasive species in the driest place in North America.”
Death Valley National Park straddles the California–Nevada border.
“Daylight Pass connects Death Valley National Park to NV-374 and Beatty, NV,” according to NPS.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Truck hauling 44,000 pounds of chickpeas catches fire in Death Valley, rangers say."
