This photo provided by the California Department of Transportation shows an early morning fire along Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (Caltrans District 7 via AP)
Interstate 10 remained shut down Monday following a fire beneath it over the weekend. More than 160 firefighters battled the blaze as it spread across a length of about six football fields. The cause of the three-hour fire is still under investigation; no injuries were reported.
Commuters were urged to find alternate routes, with significant delays expected for the foreseeable future.
“The mile-long I-10 closure between Alameda Street and Santa Fe Avenue will have ripple effects on surface streets and other key freeways including State Route 60 and Interstate 5, the California Highway Patrol said,” according to the Associated Press.
“Officials couldn’t yet offer a timeline for when the highway might reopen.”
On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency after joining Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on a tour of the destruction. He called repairing the structure “a top priority.”
The site of a fire is shown under Interstate 10, in an aerial view, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles drivers are being tested in their first commute since a weekend fire that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) In this photo provided by the California Department of Transportation, a Los Angeles firefighter uses a robotic hose to douse a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Authorities say firefighters have mostly extinguished a large blaze that burned trailers, cars and other things in storage lots beneath a major highway near downtown Los Angeles, forcing the temporary closure of the roadway. (Caltrans District 7 via AP) This photo provided by the California Department of Transportation shows the damage of columns from a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Authorities say firefighters have mostly extinguished a large blaze that burned trailers, cars and other things in storage lots beneath a major highway near downtown Los Angeles, forcing the temporary closure of the roadway. (Caltrans District 7 via AP) In this aerial view, traffic is backed up near a closed interstate 10 in the aftermath of a fire, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. Los Angeles drivers are being tested in their first commute since a weekend fire that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
