A semi truck descending into Death Valley on California 190 caught fire and was destroyed/NPS

The descent into Death Valley National Park from the west takes motorists down California 190 nearly 5,000 feet in elevation, a drop that has seen more than a few semi-trucks go up in flames when their brakes overheat.

Over the past year, four semis have ended the trip in flames. The most recent incident was this past Monday when the rig caught fire between Stovepipe Wells and Emigrant Junction. The driver was uninjured, but the stake-bed truck was destroyed.

"The vehicle fire appears to have been caused by overheated brakes while descending Towne Pass, while air temperatures were around 120°F," park spokesperson Abigail Wines said in a release. "The Federal Interagency Communications Center received several reports of the fire, at least one of which misreported the location as being in Panamint Valley. The fire was between Stovepipe Wells and Emigrant Junction."

Towne Pass, to the east of Panamint Springs, stands at 4,956 feet in elevation, while Stovepipe Wells Village, roughy 27-30 miles east of Panamint Springs, is not quite 10 feet above sea level.

Little was left of the truck, in part because fire engines didn't reach the rig for 90 minutes/NPS

National Park Service park rangers responded to this week's fire with an ambulance and patrol vehicles. It was unable to respond with a fire engine due to staffing levels, the park release said. San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, Beatty Fire Service, and the Bureau of Land Management’s California Desert District Fire all provided fire response, but the first engine didn't arrive until 90 minutes after the fire was reported.

This is the fourth vehicle to catch fire while descending Towne Pass in the past year.

A truck hauling hazardous wastes burned on April 26 after catching fire on the descent from Towne Pass/NPS

On April 26 a tractor trailer carrying hazardous waste caught coming down from the pass. Park rangers were able to extinguish the fire before it reached the truck’s trailer, preventing a potential release of waste into the park. The truck’s engine and brakes caught on fire while it was descending 5,000 vertical feet from Towne Pass. The fire happened near milepost 83, between Emigrant Junction and Stovepipe Wells.

On January 10 a semi-truck hauling bottled water caught on fire coming down from the pass. According to a park ranger on scene, the melting water bottles in the trailer helped slow the fire, but not enough to save it. 

A truck hauling water into Death Valley burned on January 10, 2024/NPS

Last August 10 a tractor-trailer’s brakes caught on fire—twice—while descending eastbound from Towne Pass. The truck was saved from a complete loss to fire by a report from an off-duty Park Service employee and the response by Death Valley National Park’s rangers with a fire engine.

The off-duty NPS employee was driving home when she noticed flames under the semi-truck in front of her. Since there is no cell service in the area, the off-duty employee used a park radio to report the fire. Park rangers responded in a fire engine from Furnace Creek, 35 miles away. 

Meanwhile, the truck pulled off onto the road shoulder and the driver used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The NPS fire engine continued to drive towards the truck in case of reignition.

The truck driver continued down CA-190, with the off-duty employee following. The brakes caught fire again and the truck parked at Emigrant Junction. The driver’s fire extinguisher had been fully expended fighting the first fire. Fortunately, the NPS fire engine arrived in time to extinguish the fire before it caused significant damage. One tire was destroyed by the fire, but the truck limped away on 17 wheels.