Rush-hour drivers got an unwelcome wake-up call Wednesday when a crane truck caught fire on southbound I-15 in the Spaghetti Bowl near downtown Las Vegas, choking off lanes and turning the morning commute into a crawl. Fire crews moved in fast and knocked the flames down, but traffic was squeezed into a single open lane while firefighters handled overhaul and cleanup. The slowdown lingered into the late morning as crews stayed on scene.
What officials said
A Las Vegas Fire & Rescue spokesperson told KSNV that firefighters were dispatched around 8:04 a.m. and arrived to find the truck’s engine bay fully engulfed just north of the I-11/US-95 interchange. Crews contained and extinguished the blaze, then remained in the area to make sure the vehicle was safe to move and to clear burned debris from the roadway.
Traffic response
FOX5 reports the vehicle, identified as a crane truck, wound up blocking several southbound lanes in the Spaghetti Bowl. Traffic was funneled onto the left shoulder while firefighters and road crews worked the scene. According to the station, the flames were out fairly quickly, but drivers were told to brace for delays while the messy part of the job, the cleanup, continued.
Spaghetti Bowl history
The Spaghetti Bowl interchange is a notorious valley choke point where a single hiccup can ripple across multiple freeways. Hoodline previously covered a February rollover and cattle-truck crash there that closed ramps and tangled traffic for miles. With several major routes colliding in the same tight space, even short-term lane closures here can stretch backups well beyond the core of downtown.
Alternate routes and commute tips
KSNV reported that officials were steering southbound drivers toward Las Vegas Boulevard or 5th Street as alternate routes while the scene was active, noting that backups on I-15 were already pushing past Cheyenne Avenue. Commuters heading into downtown were urged to build in extra time and follow directions from traffic control officers or first responders on the ground.
As of late morning, officials had not reported any injuries or identified a cause of the fire, and traffic authorities remained on scene monitoring the flow. Local stations, including FOX5, said they will update coverage as more details come in.
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