20-car pile-up closes Cajon Pass

OAK HILLS • Heavy fog touched off a chain-reaction crash involving 15 to 20 vehicles along northbound Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass Wednesday morning.

Ten people were taken to area hospitals with minor to moderate injuries, according to Capt. Dave Burkart of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

The crash happened around 7:30 a.m. south of Oak Hill Road. A series of crashes stretched over about a mile.

A hazardous materials team was called in to handle a 100-gallon diesel spill.

As of 9:15 a.m. all northbound lanes remained blocked and northbound traffic was being diverted at the I-215 split. Stranded motorists are taking Highway 138 to Hesperia and Phelan to get around the crash scene.

Officials could not say when the freeway would reopen.

According to initial reports, two tractor-trailer rigs collided, blocking traffic lanes. Other vehicles then slammed into the trucks in extremely heavy fog.

“It’s really foggy,” said Daily Press Reporter Beatriz Valenzuela at the scene. “You couldn’t see 20 feet in front of you. The freeway is pretty much empty. People are walking around in a daze, talking to the CHP and each other.”