Hot chocolate gone wrong: Semi trailer hauling chocolate catches fire on California freeway

Jun 21, 2023

It probably wasn’t the ooey-gooey and sticky mess firefighters expected first thing Monday morning.

A semi-truck hauling 40,000 pounds of chocolate caught fire about 4:15 a.m. on Interstate 80 in Placer County near Carpenter Road.

Firefighters responded to calls of a commercial vehicle fire in both westbound lanes not far from Highway 174, according to Cal Fire Nevada-Yuba-Placer County and the California Highway Patrol. The fire was held to the trailer, according to Cal Fire, and did not spread to surrounding wildland.

But the mess required extra time, according to the CHP’s incident log. That included a loader and dump truck. The fire was still smoldering around 8 a.m.

Photos posted by Cal Fire crews showed the trailer that caught fire dripping from the confectionery treat — probably not something to roast marshmallows with.

Caltrans said in a 10 a.m. post to social media that traffic delays were expected to continue until about 3 p.m. as crews continued to clean up chocolate.

No injuries were reported to the two occupants in the truck, Cal Fire said, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.