The crash happened around 7:30 p.m. on the northbound 101 near Melrose. Firefighters put the flames out, but the smoking wreck remained blocking all lanes.
Lanes were blocked for miles at least to East LA.
Authorities were diverting traffic to a single lane to drive around the crash scene.
The crash happened after a chase and the driver was taken into custody. It is believed the vehicle was reported stolen.