A fire broke out in a tractor-trailer carrying dried chickpeas in Death Valley National Park on November 21 at around 5:30 a.m. The truck was descending Daylight Pass and Mud Canyon Road, an area restricted to commercial trucks due to safety concerns. The fire started after the vehicle's brakes overheated, and the driver stopped along CA-190, where the trailer caught fire, according to information obtained by FOX40.
A truck caught fire after going over some inclines, burning about 44,000 pounds of chickpeas. Responders from Death Valley National Park, Caltrans, and the California Highway Patrol worked together to handle the situation. "When a commercial truck has a wreck or catches on fire, we worry about what it will release into the park," said Superintendent Mike Reynolds. "However, there’s very little chance that stray chickpeas not cleaned up will become invasive species in the driest place in North America," as noted by FOX5 Vegas.
Officials were concerned the spilled cargo could harm Death Valley's ecosystem, but the dry conditions reduced the risk. Two Star Towing quickly removed the truck and its cargo of dried chickpeas. Superintendent Reynolds said the park remained unaffected and resilient, as reported by FOX5 Vegas.
