Overview
- Northbound lanes are set to reopen Wednesday after a joint assessment by the fire department, Caltrans and CHP found the roadway safe, though one lane will stay closed.
- The blaze, reported Monday night in a drainage tunnel beneath the freeway near Harry Bridges Boulevard and Channel Street, forced an overnight shutdown in both directions with no injuries reported.
- Crews could not safely enter the confined tunnel because of extreme heat and smoke, so they flooded the space and later used large vacuums to remove water and debris, and the fire was declared fully out before noon Wednesday.
- Investigators are examining a nearby homeless encampment as the likely source, noting mattresses and other encampment items burned inside a culvert known to house people and once tied to the former Phillips 66 refinery site.
- Councilmember Tim McOsker called for installing fire detection and emergency notification systems inside freeway structures, a push that could change how agencies secure and monitor similar access tunnels across Los Angeles.