Officials say firefighters have mostly extinguished a large fire that burned trailers, cars and other storage underneath a major freeway near Los Angeles, forcing the roadway to be temporarily closed.
LOS ANGELES — A major highway near downtown Los Angeles was closed in both directions Saturday after a fire spread to warehouses underneath it.
The fire burned into the sky early Saturday morning. Daylight revealed twisted guardrails and black, chipped concrete on the Interstate 10 overpass in an industrial zone.
The California Department of Transportation sent crews to survey the highway, and detours were put in place to ease congested highway traffic. East-west Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles was closed for at least 24 hours through Sunday, officials said. The cause of the fire has not been released.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency and ordered the state Department of Transportation to seek federal assistance.
“The state is mobilizing resources to complete the necessary repairs as soon as possible to minimize the impact to commuters in and around Los Angeles,” Newsom said.
The fire department said the fire burned through trailers, wooden pallets and other materials in warehouses on both sides of the highway, although firefighters successfully protected three nearby commercial buildings.
Fire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said no injuries were reported in the fire, which was mostly extinguished by early morning.
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