Investigators investigate 110 freeway fire behind mattress, debris found in smoking tunnel
Investigators are still investigating what started the fire under the 110 freeway that blocked traffic near the Port of LA complex.
All northbound lanes between Channel Street and Harry Bridges Boulevard remained closed Wednesday. The fire, which was first reported on Monday at around 8:50 p.m., created major challenges for firefighters throughout the night until the next morning because it was inside a gate full of debris, including a mattress.
The California Department of Transportation said in a statement Wednesday there was no timeline for when the northbound lanes would reopen. Crews put out a hose of water and foam used to put out the fire, and plan to search with drones, robots and eventually, people. Caltrans engineers will assess the structural damage and remove debris, the agency said.
Although it is not yet clear what caused the fire, city officials confirmed that there is a camp for homeless people nearby and firefighters said they saw evidence of the camp when they arrived at the scene. Mayor Karen Bass' office said the incident shows why she is “determined to end homelessness on the streets, which is often the cause of fires.”
The encampment on the trail near the tunnel is visited weekly by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which said its teams usually find about 10 people in the area. Staff provided homeless people there with a variety of services, including emergency motel vouchers during inclement weather and help connecting to state and county services, spokesman Christopher Yee said in an email.
The last time authorities visited the camp, on April 29, the team found six people. The camp had been on private property and was moved to its latest location after the owner cleared it, Yee said.
The fire that blocked the highway burned inside a 150- to 200-foot-long tunnel with one 4-by-4-foot entrance that was once used by a now-closed oil refinery, according to Caltrans. Firefighters filled it with foam and water to extinguish the stubborn flames.
Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents the 15th Assembly District, laid the blame for the fire on Caltrans in a debate Wednesday, saying the agency has failed in many areas, including learning from past events.
The agency apparently knew there was a camp in the tunnel, because Caltrans previously reported it was cleaning up there, McOsker said. Yet Caltrans did not close the tunnel, he said, and the agency did not ensure it was free of trash and debris. The agency needs to “check all the freeway infrastructure” in LA to make sure that this week's incident, or the 2023 fire that closed the 10 Freeway, doesn't happen again, McOsker said.
“I need Caltrans to work and inspect their property,” McOsker said. “Caltrans cannot continue to be in the operational phase and put the city in a position to cover their failure.”
The 2023 fire that closed the 10 Freeway was fueled by pallets stored under the freeway near a homeless encampment, all Caltrans inspectors knew about, The Times previously reported.
On Tuesday, McOsker presented a proposal to the City Council that would direct city agencies to report on Caltrans' fire prevention work in its area.
On Wednesday, he told The Times that he will introduce another proposal stemming from the fires, this time asking for an analysis of what percentage of vegetation and trash fires occur on Caltrans property. He said he would also like to know if Caltrans has a “plan to resolve the camp” and if not, why.
