LIVERMORE — A fire that began on a big rig spread to a hillside near the Altamont Pass early Friday and forced a closure in one direction of a freeway, the California Highway Patrol said.
Fire crews were at the scene and working to extinguish the blaze.
It all happened on Interstate 580 about 4:45 a.m., according to the CHP. It was not known immediately what caused the semi-truck to catch fire.
The CHP closed all lanes of I-580 in the westbound direction from Grant Line Road to Greenville Road. The CHP also closed the westbound I-580 on-ramp at Flynn Road.
They advised motorists to use Altamont Pass Road and Corral Hollow Road to by-pass the fire.
There was no estimate for when westbound I-580 would be re-opened.
Information on how many acres burned and how difficult the firefight was for fire crews was not available immediately. The fire remained active at 7:30 a.m., the CHP said.
Please check back for updates.