A runaway big rig heading northbound on Interstate 5 in Fort Tejon crashed into five vehicles Wednesday and injured several people, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The incident happened shortly before 1 p.m. when the driver of the big rig apparently lost control and struck the vehicles just north of the Tejon truck escape ramp, officers said. The number and severity of the injuries could not be immediately confirmed, but scanner traffic indicated two helicopters were being called to the scene to transport people suffering from critical injuries.

The big rig apparently was carrying some sort of hazardous material, but it’s unknown exactly what that material is, officers said.

Northbound I-5 was closed at Highway 138 and traffic was being diverted to Highway 14 and then to Highway 58 to 99 to reach Bakersfield.

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