Los Angeles drivers are currently dealing with a nightmare on the roadway after a suspected homeless fire inside a tunnel has closed portions of the 110 freeway Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
The Los Angeles City Fire Department said that the blaze reportedly set inside the tunnel initially forced the closure of the 110 in the San Pedro area with all lanes of the freeway closed in both directions Monday night from Harry Bridges Boulevard to Channel Street, according to a report from the department.
The “rubbish fire” allegedly was started by homeless people, Fox 11 reported.
As of Tuesday morning, the closure remains on the north bound side of the 110 Freeway north to Harry Bridges Boulevard and south to Channel Street, the report noted.
The southbound lanes of the 110 Freeway have since reopened, with the northbound remaining closed from Harry Bridges Boulevard to Channel Street, according to LAFD.
The report noted that commuters traveling on the northbound side should expect delays as the closure remains in effect, with traffic diverted to Channel Street due to the fire, per the California Highway Patrol.
“While firefighters have removed a large amount of debris from the space, burning construction timber and other unmovable materials will require sustained suppression,” the report added.
“It’s really just a fire that we have to be patient with, “LAFD Asst. Chief Carlos Calvillo told the outlet. “It’s too dangerous to put firefighters in the tunnel. You’re going, you’d be going into an environment where it’s actually venting.”
“So the conditions are just smoke all banked all the way down to the ground. We believe that not only the contents in there are burning, but heavy lumber that was used to form the tunnel is all still in there, and we believe that that material is burning as well. “
KTLA’s Ginger Chan reported that the reason for the prolonged closure could be a “structural issue.”
“I heard there’s a chance it could be a couple of days before they release some of those lanes.”
According to an earlier report, crews responded to a call on Monday night around 7:50 PM in the Wilmington area for a fire in a tunnel beneath the 110 Freeway.
It has been difficult for firefighters to get access to the area to suppress the fire because it is contained inside a confined space.
As of this report, No injuries have been reported and the fire is under investigation.
