An initial investigation into a massive fire at a homeless encampment beneath an underpass in downtown Los Angeles that shut down the Interstate 10 indefinitely has already determined arson was responsible.
Downtown workers have since been told to stay home and telecommute or use public transport in lieu of getting into their cars with delays forecast to spike everywhere across the heavily car-dependent metropolis.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday, “This fire occurred within the fence line … that it was arson and that it was done and set intentionally.”
UPI reports detectives with CalFire are still working to determine who set the blaze which has closed the essential piece of infrastructure.
View of the 10 Freeway a day after a large pallet fire burned below, shutting the freeway to traffic. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty)
An aerial view as work continues on the closed I-10 elevated freeway. Engineers have been assessing the extent of the damage and it remains unknown how long the freeway, which is a major commuter artery through the downtown area, will remain closed and complicate traffic for the city. (Mario Tama/Getty)
“That’s an investigation that can be aided by the people of the region, not just those that may have been witnesses nearby,” Newsom said, as he asked the public to come forward if they have any information on who set the massive Saturday blaze that closed one of the busiest stretches of interstate in the country.
The stretch of I-10 impacted by the fire is traversed by at least 300,000 drivers every day.
As Breitbart News reported, the fire occurred on Saturday in two storage areas beneath the freeway that also hosted a sprawling homeless encampment. There were 16 homeless people living near the section of the freeway when the fire started.
Traffic surveyors said nearly 100 of the freeway’s columns were damaged in the fire, nine severely.
They confirmed the freeway will not be reopened until it is determined to be completely safe for traffic.