Breaking news in downtown LA: the 10 freeway is closed due to a large fire that engulfed a storage yard. The freeway will remain shut down until structural engineers can assess the damage, which may take some time.
KTLA’s Sara Myers is live in downtown LA with the latest update on the blaze. Aaron, who has been speaking to officials from multiple agencies, shares that the video footage of the fire is dramatic. This fire was massive, with a lot of materials burning in the storage yards.
Firefighters are still on the scene, despite the fire starting just before 12:30 am. Crews are working to put out hot spots and flare-ups.
The Los Angeles City Firefighters responded to the 1700 block of East 14th Street this morning, finding a fully involved fire in the storage yard. Multiple trailers and pallets were burning, and the fire also spread to a second storage area, affecting additional structures. As a result, extra resources were called in, and this became a major emergency structure fire. Luckily, the firefighters were able to protect the commercial buildings, but several vehicles, including one fire truck, were damaged. In total, 26 fire companies and over 160 firefighters were called in to battle the blaze.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) was also called to assist in boosting water pressure in the area to deal with the high volume needed to fight the fire. The firefighters have not declared a knockdown yet, as they are still tackling flare-ups and hotspots.
However, they have brought in special equipment, including a firefighting robot, to assist in operations. Due to the vast size of the storage yard area, measuring 200 by 200, there are still many hot pockets where the fire is ongoing. To deal with this, there is heavy debris removal underway, and the firefighting robot will be deployed to the area. Firefighters are cautious about putting personnel underneath the freeway due to the potential collapse..
