All westbound lanes of the 105 Freeway reopened Friday evening after a fiery crash that killed two people shut down the area early Friday, authorities said. The eastbound lanes had been reopened hours earlier. The highway had been closed near Prairie Avenue since 5:15 a.m. when a tanker truck collided with a Range Rover, triggering an explosion that also forced the Metro Green Line to shut down, according to the California Highway Patrol. Commuters found themselves stranded for miles in both directions, with some driving the wrong way in an attempt to get off the freeway. The eastbound lanes opened about 8 a.m., but it took nearly 12 more hours to open the entire freeway. corina.knoll@latimes.com Advertisement @corinaknoll<doc-sep>The eastbound lanes of the 105 Freeway in Hawthorne have reopened after a tanker truck collided with another vehicle early Friday, triggering an explosion and fire that shut down the freeway in both directions and closed the Metro Green Line, authorities said. The crash occurred about 5:15 a.m. when a Range Rover and tanker truck collided near Prairie Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. The tanker burst into flames and sent a fireball shooting across the freeway. Two people were killed, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Sign up for our daily Essential California newsletter » Advertisement With lanes closed in both directions, some motorists began turning around and driving in the wrong way as they attempted to find an exit, witnesses said. At 8 a.m., the eastbound lanes of the freeway were reopened, but the westbound lanes remain closed, according to the CHP. The Metro Green Line shut down service between Hawthorne, Lennon-Vermont and Athens because of the fire, which burned along the center divider and near the train tracks. 1 / 8 Los Angeles County Firefighters and CHP officers at the scene of a deadly accident involving a tanker truck and a Range Rover on the westbound 105 Freeway near Prairie Ave. in Hawthorne. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 8 Members of the California Highway Patrol inspect skid marks on the westbound 105 Freeway near Prairie Ave. following a fatal crash between a Range Rover and a tanker truck. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 8 Firefighters walk between the charred shells of a tanker truck and SUV that collided and burst into flames early Friday, shutting down the 105 Freeway and the Metro Green Line train in Hawthorne. (KTLA-TV) 4 / 8 Some motorists stranded by the crash on the 105 Freeway got out of their cars during the backup. (KTLA-TV) 5 / 8 Commuters stuck on the westbound 105 Freeway form a line to buy snacks from a food truck that was among the vehicles caught in the traffic jam. (Chris Keller / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 8 Firefighters and emergency personnel survey the scene of a fiery tanker truck crash that shut down the 105 Freeway and the Metro Green Line in Hawthorne. (KTLA-TV) 7 / 8 Some motorists stranded on the 105 Freeway became pedestrians after a fiery tanker truck crash that shut down freeway in Hawthorne. (KTLA-TV) 8 / 8 Motorists are backed up on the 105 Freeway after a fiery predawn crash shut down the freeway in both directions. (Marc Martin / Los Angeles Times) Jose Ubaldo, a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman, said a bus was dispatched to pick up Green Line passengers at the Hawthorne/Lennox, Crenshaw and Vermont/Athens stations. Major traffic on surface streets, however, slowed the process, he said. “They’re going to experience delays, but we’re trying to accommodate people as much as possible,” he said. Ubaldo said it appears from video of the scene that there might be some damage to the Metro rail system, though it is unclear how extensive it might be. The tanker truck was smoldering next to a wall that divides the roadway from the rail system. The crash shut the freeway down on both sides at Prairie Avenue. With nothing to do but wait, commuters began exiting their cars and meandering on the freeway. Others grabbed their luggage, hopped fences and walked down to city streets. (Jon Schleuss / Los Angeles Times) Advertisement Among the stranded commuters was Chris Ayala from Ontario. Ayala inspects fire extinguishers and sprinklers and was on his way to Los Angeles International Airport to inspect systems in one of its parking structures when traffic came to a standstill. He was 10 minutes from the airport. “[If] I didn’t stop to get gas this morning I would have missed it,” Ayala lamented. The backup on the freeway stretched for miles. The CHP also temporarily closed the 110 Freeway carpool lane transition to the westbound 105 Freeway and 405 Freeway northbound to the eastbound 105, logs show. There were no immediate details on what caused the crash. Advertisement Times staff writers Chris Keller and Hannah Fry contributed to this article. joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. Times reporter Hannah Fry contributed to this article. Advertisement UPDATES: 11:10 a.m.: This article was updated with an interview with the food truck owner. 8:10 a.m.: This article was updated with additional reports of from CHP and Metro officials. 7:15 a.m.: This article was updated with the confirmation of two fatalities. Advertisement 6:45 a.m.: This article was updated with additional closure details and reactions from commuters. This article was originally published at 5:55 a.m.<doc-sep>
Isabel Larios was among thousands of commuters stuck on the 105 Freeway in Hawthorne early Friday after a deadly collision between a tanker truck and another vehicle shut down the road in both directions for several hours. Frustrated by the shutdown, the food truck operator got up to make herself some coffee — it was 6 a.m., after all. She stepped outside and opened the compartment with the coffeemaker. Some motorists took that as a sign she was open for business, asking, “Will you serve us coffee? Breakfast?” Larios turned to her cook: “Should I do it?” “Do it!” the cook responded. “We’re not moving anyway.” It wasn’t long before motorists began getting out of their cars and placing their orders for burritos, sandwiches and coffee from Larios’ food truck, parked in the carpool lane. Larios hasn’t counted her money yet, but she estimated that she sold dozens of orders of coffee and most of her eggs. Customers were amused at her good fortune, with one person shouting, “You’re making good business!” Some of the clientele knew her, she said. They were headed in the same direction, Los Angeles International Airport, where Larios normally serves construction crews working on the airport tunnel. RELATED: Eastbound lanes of 105 Freeway in Hawthorne reopened after fiery crash that killed two » She lamented that the airport crews might miss their morning coffee. “I never thought something like this would happen,” said Larios, who has operated the food truck since 1986. By 8 a.m., the eastbound lanes of the 105 Freeway had been reopened, and the California Highway Patrol had cleared much of the area around the crash site, although westbound lanes at Prairie Avenue remained closed. Service on the Metro Green Line was also disrupted. The crash occurred about 5:15 a.m. when a Range Rover and tanker truck collided near Prairie Avenue, according to the CHP. The tanker burst into flames and sent a fireball shooting across the freeway. Two people were killed, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Times staff writer Chris Keller contributed to this article.