PORT ALLEN - A fiery crash involving a bus and multiple 18-wheelers closed down I-10 in West Baton Rouge for hours Thursday. 

The wreck was first reported around 11 a.m. on the eastbound lanes of the interstate just past LA 415. Crash investigators said it appeared the bus was coming to a stop when a semi-truck slammed into it. The bus was pushed into the back of another 18-wheeler before hitting a cable barrier in the median of the interstate. 

The West Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said the trucker who rear-ended the bus, identified as Ricky Hagar, was killed in the collision. Hagar worked for Kingdom Trucking, a company based out of Texas.

The department added that three people were hurt on board the bus, which is owned by Turimex Internacional and was headed from Mexico to North Carolina. The roughly 40 passengers were taken to a community center to wait for another ride.

The stretch of I-10 where the wreck happened is infamous among local law enforcement for its frequent accidents, many of them involving 18-wheelers.

Lt. Ken Albarez, who runs WBRSO's traffic division, has often referred to the area as the "Devil's Triangle." He said traffic stacks up on the westbound side because rush hour traffic narrows from three lanes to one.

"It's the only place in the country where it reduces down to one lane, and we've got to do something about it," Albarez said in an interview with WBRZ back in 2017.

The interstate reopened around 5 p.m. Thursday.