Major I-5 crash near Sacramento involves 3 big rigs in dense fog

Authorities say three big rigs were involved in a crash amid extremely foggy conditions in the Sacramento Valley on Thursday morning.

The crash happened along northbound Interstate 5, near Twin Cities Road just south of Elk Grove.

California Highway Patrol says it appears one big rig had started to slow down, but a second big rig couldn't slow down in time. The second big rig tried turning to the left, but it still struck the left rear of the other big rig.

The second big rig's cab then flipped over and crashed into the center divide area. A third big rig was then struck by debris from the crash, officers say.

About 75 gallons of fuel was spilled from the second big rig in the center divide, CHP says.

Exactly what prompted the first big rig to slow down is unclear, but the crash happened in the area where extremely thick fog had settled in through the early morning hours.

Visibility had dropped below a quarter mile for many places across the valley Thursday morning, including some places where visibility was at 0.0.

A Dense Fog Advisory persisted through noon Thursday. Northbound I-5 traffic was impacted through the morning commute due to the crash.