Our top story this morning is the state of emergency declaration following the massive fire beneath the 10 freeway yesterday morning. Several agencies are now working together to assess the damage.
KTLA’s Erin Myers is live in downtown LA with more on the cleanup and what it’s going to take to repair the freeway. Good morning. As of now, parts of the 10 freeway are still closed down from Alameda to the East LA interchange.
Caltrans will need to come back out today to assess the damage and the structural integrity of the freeway. As you can see behind me, there is extensive damage spanning 2 blocks after the fire tore through the area under the 10 freeway. Last night, the mayor toured the area and released a statement saying that she has directed city departments to immediately plan for how to address increased traffic in the area.
She also mentioned that the White House stands ready to assist with whatever is needed. Governor Gavin Newsom stated that the state will assess the damage, remove hazardous waste, and begin repairs as soon as the site can be accessed. The fire started early yesterday morning in an industrial area near 14th Street and Alameda.
It was so intense that it melted fences, guardrails, and cars along the 10 freeway. Chunks of concrete on the freeways broke away, and two fire trucks were damaged. Numerous cars, pallets, shipping containers, and more in the storage yards also burned. It took more than 160 firefighters hours to extinguish the flames.
Crews have been monitoring hot spots since yesterday evening. There was a homeless encampment underneath the freeway that sent people running for safety when the fire broke out, but fortunately, no one was hurt. The city is helping those who lost their belongings and providing shelter. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and there are several people involved in this investigation. They are working to piece together what actually happened, and this process will take days.
Investigators are currently canvassing the area and reviewing different people’s footage to gather more information. Caltrans has informed me that soil samples were collected last night and sent to the lab. Once the results are back and hazmat teams have cleared the area, Caltrans can assess the damage and determine the freeway’s structural integrity.
Their goal is to get things back to normal safely and as soon as possible. They hope to open at least one lane, if not two or three, by the Monday commute. Once again, our top story is the state of emergency declared following the massive fire that occurred beneath the 10 freeway.
Several agencies are working together to assess the damage, and cleanup efforts are underway..
