Truck fire destroys ‘substantial’ amount of mail

A “substantial amount” of a mail was damaged during a vehicle fire involving a United States Postal Service tractor-trailer Sunday morning, according to a USPS spokesman.

The mail was heading from the San Francisco international service center to the Los Angeles international service center when the trailer of the big-rig carrying the mail caught fire around 6:30 a.m., said USPS spokesman James Wigdel.

California Highway Patrol officer Kevin Bartlett said the truck was initially blocking two southbound lanes on Interstate Highway 238 near the junction with Mission Boulevard. Crews were working for several hours to remove the mail from the truck and had cleared the roadway as of 5 p.m., Bartlett said.

Bartlett said there were no injuries and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. There was a mix of letters and packages inside the truck at the time of the fire, Wigdel said:

“We’re still determining the extent of the damage, but a substantial amount of mail was damaged.”

Widgel added postal inspectors will determine where the majority of the mail was headed. Once inspectors have determined the extent of the damage,

Wigdel said the postal agency would be able to ascertain how to follow-up with the public. Wigdel said USPS customers with questions about their mail should call 1 (800) ASK-USPS.