Arson is likely cause of fire that shut down Los Angeles’ I-10 indefinitely, investigators say. Here’s what we know

Originally Published: 14 NOV 23 02:24 ET Updated: 14 NOV 23 11:20 ET By Taylor Romine, Elizabeth Wolfe and Cindy Von Quednow, CNN

(CNN) — Investigators are working to determine who is responsible for a massive fire over the weekend that has forced the indefinite closure of part of Los Angeles’ Interstate 10, as fire officials say the blaze was likely arson.

City and state agencies have been working around the clock to repair and reopen the essential stretch of freeway in downtown Los Angeles, which channels more than 300,000 drivers each day, Mayor Karen Bass said Monday.

There is no estimated timeline for reopening the freeway, which has been closed since Saturday, causing a transportation nightmare for thousands of LA residents and disrupting local school bus routes and nearby businesses. Residents who are impacted have been urged to take public transit, work from home or plan for significant traffic delays.

Investigators have been able to “confidently determine” arson was the cause of the fire, which was reported early Saturday at a storage yard and quickly spread under the interstate to a second facility, State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said Monday.

It’sunclear how many people were involved, Berlant said, urging anyone with video or information about the incident to contact authorities.

Crewsare evaluating the structural integrity of the damaged freeway and have found that its deck “appears to be much stronger than originally assessed,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. Officials have yet to determine whether the roadway should be retrofitted or replaced entirely, he said.

Newsom has declared a state of emergency for Los Angeles County due to the closure of the freeway, which he said plays a major role in the economy, health and safety of people in Los Angeles.

“Losing this stretch of the 10 freeway will take time and money from people’s lives and businesses,” Bass said in a Monday news conference. “For commuters, we’re still exploring ways to open up faster and more effective routes of communication.”

Here’s what we know about the arson investigation and efforts to reopen the highway.

Investigators sorting through several tips, governor says

The preliminary investigation determined that the overnight fire was started with “malice intent” and was “set intentionally,” Newsom announced Monday.

Some preliminary tips have already been submitted, he added, encouraging others who may have information to come forward.

Thestate fire marshal’s office isstill piecing together other key details, including how the fire was ignited and whether multiple people were involved in the incident, which is believed to be arson, Berlant said.

Investigators have sifted through the fire’s rubble in search of evidence and are working with Los Angeles firefighters to canvass the surrounding neighborhoods for potential witnesses and video footage, the fire marshal added.

Firefighters responded to reports of the fire around 12:30 a.m. Saturday at a storage yard scattered with pallets, trailers and vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Wind soon pushed the blaze under the freeway and across the street, where flames began to consume a second storage facility.

More than 160 firefighters responded to the site and were able to defend three nearby commercial buildings as they extinguished much of the fire within hours, according to city fire chief Kristin Crowley. No injuries have been reported.

Bridge is not at risk of collapse, official says

Safety tests on the highway will resume on Tuesday, Newsom said, as engineers assess how severely the infrastructure has been damaged.

“Right now, we do not believe it will collapse,” John Yang, deputy district director for construction for the California Department of Transportation, said.

The damaged stretch includes a large bridge that spans five lanes in each direction, according to Yang. About 100 columns beneath the bridge were impacted by fire and are being inspected, according to transportation department director Tony Tavares.

Structural engineers will analyze concrete and rebar samples taken from the underside of the freeway and others extracted from the core in order to make recommendations in the coming days about what repairs need to be made, California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin said.

“We have no concern for worker safety working underneath,” Yang said.

The lease to the property where the fire started is held by Apex Development, according to Newsom, who accused the company of being in violation of the lease.

“They stopped paying their rent, they’re out of compliance, and … they have been subleasing this site to at least five, maybe as many as six tenants” without required state and federal authorization, Newsom said Monday.

The state has been in a “litigious posture” with the company “for some time,” the governor said, noting state prosecutors will face Apex Development in court early next year.

CNN has sought comment from Apex Development.

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