Carpinteria Semi-Truck Fire Closes Lanes on Highway 101; Traffic Slowly Resumes

Late on Wednesday night, a semi truck and trailer fire on southbound Highway 101 caused several lane closures. These closures lasted until 10:45 a.m. Thursday.

Highlights

• A semi-truck fire closed multiple southbound Highway 101 lanes near Carpinteria overnight.
• CHP and fire crews responded around 11:50 p.m.; no injuries were reported.
• As of Thursday morning, two lanes reopened while cleanup efforts continued.

The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District, along with the California Highway Patrol, responded to the fire at about 11:50 p.m. The blaze was seen at the Bailard Avenue exit.

Road Advisory
Semi/trailer on fire southbound US-101 at the Bailard off-ramp. The #3 and #2 lane from southbound at Linden are closed. The #1 remains open. ETA of closure and cleanup approximately 4-5 hours. Drive carefully through the area and expect delays. pic.twitter.com/aXRVWnnhE7

— CHP Santa Barbara (@CHP_SantaBarb) July 24, 2025

As per reports, the cleanup lasted all night. As of 8:30 a.m., CHP Santa Barbara officials stated that lanes #1 and #2 of southbound Highway 101 were open at the Bailard offramp. However, lane #3 remains closed. CHP logs state that the semi truck was completely burned. No injuries were reported.

The agency has urged drivers to remain careful and expect delays in the area. Closures are expected to last a few more hours.