Stolen big rig engulfed in flames on 5 Freeway after driver leads CHP on hourslong chase

NEWHALL, Calif. (KABC) -- A big rig that was reported stolen out of Kern County ended up in flames in the middle of the 5 Freeway near the Newhall area after a driver led officers on a chase.

The pursuit began early Thursday afternoon and slowly moved along the 5 Freeway, heading southbound.
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AIR7 HD was above the scene throughout the chase and at times, captured the driver placing a piece of a paper on the windshield with some sort of message. It's unclear what the driver was attempting to relay.



Shortly after, one of the big rig's front tires completely blew out after driving over set of spike strips that were set up at Templin.

The driver continued, causing the rim to drag along the highway, igniting sparks.

WATCH: Tire falls off stolen big rig


The suspect ultimately pulled over and surrendered as the big rig caught fire.
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It was engulfed in flames by 3:30 p.m., prompting a response from the Los Angeles County Fire Department.



Traffic along the 5 Freeway was also impacted. Some of the southbound lanes near Castaic have reopened after being shut down, but drivers are still being impacted.

This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.