Homeless encampment sparks fire under I-10 in Los Angeles? - The Horn News

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Homeless encampment sparks fire under I-10 in Los Angeles?

By: The Horn editorial team

Los Angeles drivers, warned of potentially terrible traffic snarls, headed into the Monday morning commute following a raging fire over the weekend that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, with some observers speculating about the role of a homeless encampment nearby. Mayor Karen Bass said that at least 16 people living underneath the highway were evacuated and brought to shelters.

Flames reported around 12:20 a.m. Saturday ripped through two storage lots in an industrial area beneath the highway, burning parked cars, stacks of wooden pallets and support poles for high-tension power lines, fire Chief Kristin Crowley said. No injuries were reported.

According to the Associated Press, officials have yet to find any indication that the blaze began at the homeless encampment.

However, officials also stressed that it was too early to know for sure.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday that the state has been in litigation with the owner of the business leasing the storage property where the fire started. The lease is expired, Newsom said, and the business had been in arrears while subleasing the space. “This is a site we were aware of, this is a lessee we were aware of,” he said.

Hazardous materials teams were clearing burned material from underneath the elevated freeway to make way for engineers, who will ensure the columns and deck of the highway can support the 300,000 vehicles that typically travel that route daily, officials told a morning news conference. Temporary support structures were also being installed.

The mayor said the fire’s long-term impact could be reminiscent of damage from the Northridge earthquake that flattened freeways in 1994.

“Unfortunately, there is no reason to think that this is going to be over in a couple of days,” she said.

More than 160 firefighters from more than two dozen companies responded to the blaze, which spread across 8 acres (3 hectares) — the equivalent of about six football fields — and burned for three hours.

Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon and directed the state Department of Transportation to request assistance from the federal government. Bass said she had also talked with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about any additional resources that may be needed.

Take a look at some of the damage —

Cellphones blasted a predawn reminder for residents to plan alternate commuting routes and to expect significant delays due to the fire’s impact on Interstate 10.

Many commuters appeared to have heeded the advice to avoid the roads. TV news helicopter views generally showed less traffic than normal on the freeways encircling downtown.

“In looking at the traffic data earlier this morning, I am somewhat pleased to say that the congestion was a little bit lighter than normal,” said Rafael Molina, deputy district director for the division of traffic at the California Department of Transportation. “However, please — if you don’t need to be in downtown Los Angeles — please avoid those trips.”

Commuters were urged to work from home or take public transportation into downtown Los Angeles. A mile-long closure of I-10 between Alameda Street and Santa Fe Avenue will have ripple effects on surface streets and other key freeways including State Route 60 and Interstate 5, the California Highway Patrol said.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this article.