Truck Drivers Fear Santa Clarita Tunnel

Oct 14, 07:55 AM

Current Headlines: Truck drivers say a treacherous mix of rain, darkness, blind spots and curves led to the massive tunnel fire that killed three near Los Angeles.

The truck-only Interstate 5 tunnel in Santa Clarita, Calif., was not expected to reopen to traffic until Tuesday as firefighters struggled to clear the wreckage of charred big rigs and concrete blocks exploded by the searing heat of Friday's night's pileup, CNN reported Sunday.

Winds whipped flames through the 550-foot long tunnel Saturday as firefighters shot high-expansion foam through it. Drivers of big rigs dread the tunnel, called by some the worst in California, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

The lanes curve left and then, abruptly, drivers find themselves blinded, said trucker Luis Ceja, 49, of Norwalk, who estimates he has driven through the tunnel more than 100 times.

You don't see what's ahead until you get in the tunnel, Ceja said. It's like you're going blind. The tunnel's so dark you only have a second to react.