Highway 10 damaged by fire will reopen by Tuesday

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that the fire-damaged 10 Freeway would be reopened sooner than expected — Tuesday “at the latest.”

“Five lanes in both directions,” Newsom said during a news conference Thursday evening at the site of the fire in downtown Los Angeles.

More than 100 columns along the highway were damaged, nine or 10 of them seriously, officials said. Construction crews have erected wooden structures to shore up the viaduct while repair work begins.

The fire, which arson investigators believe was started intentionally, broke out at a property less than 10 years old that was leased to Caltrans.

Although the exact cause of the fire has not been revealed, “there was (malicious) intent,” Newsom said during a press conference Monday afternoon.

In addition to the pallets, disinfectant accumulated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was stored under the overpass and helped fuel the flames, according to sources close to the investigation who were not authorized to discuss details of the investigation.

The fire was reported early Saturday, shortly after midnight, in the 1700 block of East 14th Street after a pallet yard under the highway caught fire and spread to a second pallet yard, damaging the highway overpass and destroying several vehicles, including a fire truck, authorities said. said.