DELANO, Calif -- Monday's chemical spill and fire is being blamed for a fatal crash that happend Tuesday morning.

A tractor-trailer caught fire on Northbound Hwy. 99 just after 9 p.m. Monday. It happened three miles north of Delano near Earlimart.

The California Highway Patrol said the fire caused the trailer to leak a chemical into the air. Crews let the chemical burn out all night and kept the road closed, detouring traffic off of the highway for a short distance.

At 9 a.m. Tuesday, as traffic continued to exit the highway at the Cecil Avenue, a car slammed into the back of a Semi-truck.

The force of the impact sent the car under the big rig, crushing the driver of the car. The driver, a 45 yr. old hispanic male, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The CHP says Highway 99 will remain closed for at least an hour. They estimated it will be reopened by 11 a.m. Tuesday.