California Highway Patrol and other agencies responded about 12:44 p.m. Friday to a vehicle fire on the Benicia-Martinez Bridge at its toll booths.
According to the Highway Patrol, a box truck attempted to go through the toll plaza, then burst into flames. The agency’s report said there didn’t appear to be any related crash. Instead, the fire appeared to have started inside the box of the truck.
The man driving the truck, who was its only occupant, was uninjured, according to the CHP’s statement, but the fire damaged Lanes 6 and 7, both cash and Fastrak lanes, of the toll booth plaza.
The fire hindered northbound Interstate-680 traffic, but the plaza’s other lanes remained open, the announcement said.
Representatives of CalTrans arrived to assess the damage and clean the plaza, the CHP announcement said
“Toll lanes No. 6 and No. 7 are expected to be out of commission for several days, likely until late next week,” said John Goodwin, public information officer for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Bay Area Toll Authority.
“There are nine cash lanes at this plaza,” he said. “No other parts of the toll plaza have been damaged.”
He said he has viewed a video of the incident, but said it didn’t show how the fire started. He said both the truck’s driver and toll collectors working at the plaza escaped without harm.
