A garbage truck fully engulfed in flames shut down traffic along the eastbound State Route 52 Tuesday afternoon.
The truck somehow caught fire at about 1:45 p.m., at one point still driving down the highway as flames rose from the back. It finally stopped to block the eastbound offramp to Mission Gorge Road.
The California Highway Patrol issued a Sig Alert for the freeway near that exit.
The driver was able to escape unharmed.
Firefighters are working to extinguish the fire and investigate what caused it.
All eastbound lanes of SR-52 were closed for more than three hours, reopening at 5:12 p.m.
