MAJOR EMERGENCY FIRE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES SHUTS DOWN 10 FREEWAY
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A major emergency fire broke out in a downtown Los Angeles storage yard early Saturday morning, quickly spreading to a neighboring yard and prompting the closure of the 10 Freeway in both directions.
The fire was first reported at 12:22 a.m. in the 1700 block of East 14th Street, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Firefighters from 26 companies worked tirelessly to contain and extinguish the blaze, which engulfed multiple trailers and spread to a nearby storage pallet yard. The flames were so intense that they even consumed a fire engine that became stuck in their path. Several civilian vehicles were also destroyed by the inferno.
The LAFD released a statement saying, “Firefighters have successfully defended three exposed commercial buildings from fire extension.”
At 2:33 a.m., pallets in both yards were mostly consumed by the flames and firefighters would use bulldozers to move debris and put out hot spots.
The Department of Water and Power assisted by boosting water pressure in the area for the high volume needed, as well as dealing with a fallen cross arm of energized high tension wire on 14th Street.
The first storage yard is located under the 10 Freeway. The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert at 1:19 a.m. shutting down the freeway in both eastbound and westbound directions at Alameda Street.
Traffic was backed up for miles in both directions, with the CHP diverting eastbound traffic at Alameda Street and westbound vehicles at Santa Fe Avenue.
Caltrans engineers were on scene to assess damage to the freeway and determine whether it was safe to reopen. Mop up was expected to continue through the morning.
Fire Engine 17 was the first on the scene and became stuck under the freeway overpass, officials said. It burned in the blaze.
The freeway is expected to remain closed at the scene for at least 24 hours as authorities work to clean up and repair the damage caused by the fire.