Investigators are looking into what caused a fire beneath the 110 Freeway that shut down traffic near the Port of LA complex.
All northbound lanes between Channel Street and Harry Bridges Boulevard were also closed Wednesday. The fire, which was first reported at about 8:50 pm on Monday, posed serious challenges to firefighters throughout the night and into the next morning as it was inside an access portal filled with debris including mattresses.
The California Department of Transportation said in a statement Wednesday that there is no timeline for when the northbound lanes will reopen. Workers have drained the tunnel of water and foam used to extinguish the fire, and plan to search it with drones, robots and eventually people. Caltrans engineers will assess structural damage and remove debris, the agency said.
Although it is not yet clear what caused the fire, city officials confirmed that there was a homeless encampment nearby and firefighters said they saw evidence of an encampment when they arrived at the scene. Mayor Karen Bass’ office said the incident explains why she is “determined to end the problem of street homelessness, which often leads to fires.”
A camp on a trail near the tunnel has received weekly visits from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which said its teams usually find about 10 people at that location. Workers there have offered a variety of services to the homeless, including emergency motel vouchers during inclement weather and help connecting with state and county services, spokesman Christopher Yee said in an email.
The last time authority officials visited the camp on April 29, the team found six people. Yee said the encampment was previously on private property and was moved to its latest location after the owner cleaned it up.
According to Caltrans, the fire that closed the freeway burned inside a 150 by 200-foot long tunnel, which had a 4 by 4 foot entrance, that was used by a now-defunct local oil refinery. Firefighters filled it with foam and water to extinguish the stubborn flames.
Council Member Tim McCoskar, who represents the 15th Council District, blamed Caltrans for the fire in an interview Wednesday, saying the agency has failed on several fronts, including learning from past incidents.
The agency apparently knew there was an encampment in the tunnel, McOscar said, because Caltrans had previously reported clearing there. And yet Caltrans did not close the tunnel, he said, nor did the agency ensure it was free of trash and debris. McOscar said the agency needs to “assess the entire freeway infrastructure” in L.A. to ensure that this week’s incident, or the 2023 fire that closed 10 freeway fires, does not happen again.
“I need Caltrans to be proactive and assess their property,” McOscar said. “Caltrans cannot continue to remain in a reactive phase and then put the city in a position to cover up its failures.”
The 2023 fire that closed the 10 Freeway was fueled by pallets stored under the freeway near homeless camps, which Caltrans inspectors were aware of, The Times previously reported.
On Tuesday, McCosker introduced a resolution in the City Council that would direct city agencies to report on Caltrans’s responsibility for preventing fires on its property.
On Wednesday, he told The Times he would introduce another proposal stemming from the fire, this time requesting an analysis of what percentage of vegetation and litter in Caltrans’ right-of-way occurs in fires. He said he would also like to know if Caltrans has a “junk settlement program” and if not, why.
