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About 120,000 letters burn in SoCal crash
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BREA  (AP) — A fiery crash involving two big rigs on an Orange County freeway Tuesday destroyed about 120,000 pieces of mail, postal officials said.

The mail was being carried by one tractor-trailer that rear-ended another at 1:30 a.m. on northbound state Highway 57, the Orange County Register reported.

The truck went up in flames and burned for an hour, California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera said. The driver, who was a private contractor for the Postal Service, was not injured.

The crash closed three northbound lanes for several hours.

The mail was headed from Orange County to Ontario International Airport, then to destinations all over the country, said Richard Maher, a spokesman for the Postal Service.

Postal officials said they’ll provide documentation to anyone who might be affected by late fees or penalties because of the lost mail, which included letters and large envelopes.

“Customers who mailed important items (Monday) may want to follow up with recipients in the next few days to determine if their letter arrived,” Maher said.

The cause of the crash was under investigation.