Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, surveys the damage caused by the fire below Interstate 10 in Los Angeles. To the right of him is Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Governor office photo

(AP) — Los Angeles will be without a section of a vital freeway that carries more than 300,000 vehicles daily for an uncertain amount of time following a massive weekend fire at a storage yard, officials warned Monday.

The highway’s columns were charred and chipped, guardrails along the deck were left twisted and blackened, and crews had shored up the most damaged section for the safety of workers clearing the debris. It’s still unclear what structural damage, if any, the blaze caused to the freeway.

Engineers were assessing the situation Monday.

The damage to Interstate 10 could hurt not just the city, but also the transport of goods out of the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, a federal highway administration official said, adding that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the situation.

Los Angeles drivers were tested during the first weekday commute following the raging fire beneath an elevated section of I-10. Some freeway exits backed up as drivers were forced to use crowded surface streets to bypass the damaged freeway stretch south of downtown.

Some routes, however, had lighter traffic, suggesting drivers heeded warnings from the city to make alternate plans. Cellphones were blasted with a predawn reminder for residents to plan different routes or expect significant delays.

The cause of the fire Saturday is under investigation.

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, city fire Chief Kristin Crowley said. No injuries were reported.

At least 16 homeless people living underneath the highway were evacuated and brought to shelters. Officials said there was no immediate indication that the blaze began at the encampment.

More than 160 firefighters responded to the blaze, which spread across 8 acres (3 hectares) and burned for three hours.

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said the recent closure of a highway in Philadelphia due to fire damage highlights the massive impact such disasters can have on not only a city but the nation.

“Driving in it was very clear that there’s a real traffic impact in the LA metro area but there’s a lot of goods that come in through the ports of LA and Long Beach. They’re going to be impacted,” said Bhatt, adding that the federal government was ready to help.

A fiery June 11 crash of a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline in Philadelphia collapsed an elevated section of Interstate 95, snarling traffic and hurting area businesses. It reopened less than two weeks later due to a quick rebuild.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged the havoc the closure will have on people’s lives.

“It’s disrupting in every way, whether you are talking about traveling to and from work or your child care plans and the flow of goods and commerce, this will disrupt the lives of Angelenos,” Bass said. “So I will not settle for anything other than a rebuilding plan and a timeline that becomes a new model for speed.”

Even so, she made clear it will not be only a matter of days.
Officials said the fire’s impact could be reminiscent of damage from the Northridge earthquake that flattened freeways, including sections of I-10 in 1994. The I-10 reconstruction was completed in 66 days, which was considered significantly fast.

LA residents have a history of responding well to warnings of traffic troubles. Warnings of “Carmageddon” for a full freeway closure in 2011 resulted in a widespread reduction in traffic. A predicted “Jamzilla” in 2014 proved not to be monstrous, and fears of massive traffic snarls failed to materialize during the 1984 Olympics.

California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin told a news conference Monday that two contractors have been hired — one to work on cleaning up the hazardous material under the freeway and the other to shore up the freeway.

Core samples were being tested from the superstructure, decks and columns to determine next steps but officials warned it was uncertain how long the repairs could take. Omishakin said storage yards under highways are common statewide and across the country. He said the practice would be reevaluated following the fire.

Repairs will require environmental waivers and federal funding, officials said.

“Please know that we’re determining the best course of action for getting this bridge back open as quickly and as safely as possible,” Omishakin said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon and directed the state Department of Transportation to request assistance from the federal government.

The governor 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.
_____
Watson reported from San Diego.