Chickpea-laden truck ignites in flames in Death Valley National Park

Officials stated that a truck transporting 44,000 pounds of chickpeas caught fire while passing through Death Valley National Park in California last month.

The incident occurred as the truck was going down Daylight Pass and Mud Canyon Road, which is not open to commercial truck traffic. The brakes overheated, causing the fire at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 21, according to the National Park Service.

The driver managed to pull over once on level ground on CA-190, with no injuries reported. Multiple agencies responded to the fire.

Mike Reynolds, the Superintendent of Death Valley National Park, expressed concerns about potential hazardous materials being released into the park in commercial truck accidents or fires.

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“However, there’s very little chance that stray chickpeas not cleaned up will become invasive species in the driest place in North America,” Reynolds said.

Officials said the chickpeas won’t pose a hazard to the ecosystem at Death Valley National Park. (iStock)

Two Star Towing service removed the burnt remains and cleaned up the remaining dried chickpeas, as per park officials.

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This incident was among a few truck fires that occurred in the park this year, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley “a land of extremes,” NPS says on its website. (NPS/Hoerner, File)

According to California Highway Patrol spokesman Torey Michener, most truck fires are caused by “driver error, riding the brakes instead of using the engine to downshift to reduce speed that causes the fire.”

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Abby Wines, a spokesperson for Death Valley National Park, mentioned that many drivers are unaware of the option to downshift to save the brakes – even on an automatic transmission.