In this photo provided by the California Department of Transportation, a Los Angeles firefighter uses a robotic hose to douse a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Nov. 11, 2023. Caltrans District 7 via AP)
Richard Vogel/APThe closure of Interstate-10 in Los Angeles has prompted a state of emergency declaration by Gov. Gavin Newsom. There’s no estimated time of reopening for the major artery that runs through the heart of LA.
The traffic nightmare began shortly after midnight Saturday, when a fire started in a storage lot on the 1700 block of E 14th Street below an overpass, burning through parked cars, trailers and wood pallets on both sides of the highway. The inferno was so intense that a fire truck was damaged, and “firefighters also had to work around downed high tension wires when a cross arm fell on 14th street, potentially energizing the water flowing in the gutter,” the Los Angeles Fire Department wrote in a statement.
Over 160 firefighters worked the scene, eventually putting out the eight-acre fire — the equivalent of six football fields of damage. A cause for the fire has not yet been released. By late Saturday morning, the fire was contained, allowing Caltrans workers to survey the damage done to the area. Photos show charred and cracked concrete pillars that hold up the overpass. As a result, I-10 between the East LA Connector and Alameda Street is closed until further notice, Caltrans said.
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Drivers on I-5 and State Route 60 are being diverted to Highway 101, while eastbound drivers on I-10 will have to exit at Alameda St. Motorists should check with Caltrans before heading out.
“If it’s just the concrete that’s what we call spalled — chipped off — there might be an opportunity just to go in and do some cosmetic fixes,” Caltrans spokeswoman Lauren Wonder told ABC7. “If it’s gone down to the rebar and there’s some concern about the structural integrity of the bridge, we would need to keep any traffic load off of the structure and then that would be more extensive repairs.”
In order to free up more funding to tackle the traffic nightmare, Newsom declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County on Saturday night.
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“The state is mobilizing resources and taking steps to ensure any necessary repairs are completed as soon as possible to minimize the impact on those traveling in and around Los Angeles,” Newsom said in a statement.
Damaged freeway columns are seen as Los Angeles firefighters mop up from a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the freeway in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023.
Richard Vogel/APThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
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