Fire that indefinitely closed section of vital Los Angeles freeway was arson, governor says
California Gov. Gavin Newsom says arson caused a massive fire that has indefinitely closed a vital section of a freeway in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — Arson was the cause of a massive weekend fire that charred and indefinitely closed a vital section of a major Los Angeles freeway, causing major traffic headaches for hundreds of thousands of commuters, California authorities said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said investigators were trying to determine if more than one person was involved. He gave no other details.
“I have to stress that we have determined what started the fire,” Newsom told reporters Monday.
The fire erupted Saturday in two storage lots under an elevated section of Interstate 10 where pallets, vehicles and other materials combusted quickly and the fire grew. It left many columns charred and chipped and the deck guardrails twisted. Crews 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.
The I-10 runs east-west across the heart of the metropolis and connects with other major freeways. Monday brought the first weekday test for commuters navigating new freeway routes or surface street detours around the closed section south of downtown.
The result was both encouraging and “a reminder of the significant challenges we face for the foreseeable future until the 10 can be safely reopened,” Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the city Department of Transportation, said as Tuesday's commute began.
The Monday morning commute was congested but did not result in gridlock, indicating drivers heeded warnings, but the evening commute saw a much higher degree of congestion, Rubio-Cornejo said. Surface street
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