Traffic was shut down on southbound Highway 101 in Santa Barbara on Wednesday after a cement truck crashed and caught fire, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
The crash occurred at about 1:25 p.m. between the Milpas Street offramp and Los Patos Way, near the Santa Barbara Zoo, fire Battalion Chief Jim McCoy told Noozhawk.
The truck, which ended up between the freeway and the adjacent railroad tracks, was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on scene, McCoy said.
The driver suffered minor to moderate injuries, and was taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
His name and details on his condition were not available.
The southbound freeway lanes were shut down for a time after the crash, but one lane reopened shortly before 2 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
A vehicle in the zoo parking lot reportedly was damaged when it was struck by a piece of the wreckage, the CHP said.
Train traffic also was halted for a time after crash while firefighters doused the fire, McCoy said.
The crash was under investigation by the CHP.
Later in the afternoon, at about 4:45 p.m., a multi-vehicle crash occurred in the same area, causing continued traffic back-ups on the freeway and in surrounding neighborhoods, according to the CHP.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.