UPDATE: According to the California Highway Patrol, the CHP officer who was injured in Tuesday night's crash, was reporting to the scene of a big rig fire and was getting out of his patrol vehicle when his car was rear ended. 

The officer sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital in Visalia for treatment. 

The driver of the car that hit the officer suffered minor injuries. 

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Southbound Highway 99 was shut down for several hours near Earlimart, just north of Kern County, Tuesday night according to Caltrans.

According to our sister station ABC30 in Fresno, a crash that left a California Highway Patrol officer injured led to the shut down. 

The CHP officer was responding to a semi-truck fire. While at the scene of the fire, the officer was hit by a vehicle and suffered major, non-life threatening injuries. 

The officer was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. 

There were several other small vehicle collisions in the area, but it doesn't appear anyone else was injured. 

UPDATE Tulare: Southbound 99 FULL CLOSURE; detour at Ave 56, south to Ave 48 to reconnect with 99. No ETO

— Caltrans District 6 (@CaltransDist6) March 21, 2018

Caltrans said traffic was being diverted at Avenue 56, south to Avenue 48 to reconnect with Highway 99.

Lanes reopened around 10 p.m.