Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro closed as big rig with lithium-ion batteries continues to burn

A big rig on fire continues to burn Friday morning on a Terminal Island roadway in San Pedro after the truck carrying lithium-ion batteries exploded and flipped over Thursday afternoon.

The Vincent Thomas Bridge, running through the Port of Los Angeles and near the incident, has been closed in both directions since about noon Thursday, as crews let the toxic fire burn out on its own. A portion of the 47 Freeway where the truck fire happened also remains closed.

The batteries inside the vehicle's shipping container were damaged, on fire and off-gassing and there were reports of one battery exploding, the Los Angeles Fire Department said Thursday around 2 p.m. Two hours earlier, firefighters and a hazmat team responded to the scene near 940 North Seaside Avenue.

The first responders kept their distance and used hose lines for protection, according to LAFD. Such batteries can be highly flammable and even prone to explosions, according to the National Fire Protection Association .

David Ortiz, Los Angeles Fire Department public information officer said the gas emitted from the fire is hazardous but dissipates. "We don't feel that anyone more than 300 feet away is going to be impacted or affected. Putting water on this fire and trying to extinguish it would create a bigger hazmat problem, runoff, and a bigger cleanup issue," Ortiz said. "You could pour millions of gallons of water on this fire and it still might reignite again."

Thursday evening,  LAFD Capt. Adam Vangerpen explained that the burn cycle of the toxic materials is unpredictable, and could go for days.

"It's (the fire) going to go through different cycles, so there will be more cases of thermal runway, so even through the night there might be some flareups, they could get 10, 15-foot flames shooting out of this, so it's not safe for people to be in any direction, so that's why we closed the bridge down in both directions," Vangerpen said.

As the bridge remained closed Thursday afternoon, drivers looking to leave Terminal Island were advised by LAFD to use Ferry Street to the Southbound 47 Vincent Thomas Bridge.  Friday around 9 a.m., CHP advised "the best routes between San Pedro to Long Beach is by utilizing Pacific Coast Highway between I-110 and I-710, or I-405."

"While these batteries provide an effective and efficient source of power, the likelihood of them overheating, catching on fire, and even leading to explosions increases when they are damaged or improperly used, charged, or stored," the NFPA said.

Earlier this year, in July, a crash involving a semi-truck carrying lithium-ion batteries led to a closure of the 15 Freeway connecting Southern California to the Las Vegas area that lasted about two days. Drivers were left stranded on the highway, some of them reporting heat-related medical emergencies in the desert area while the hazmat situation led to air quality issues.

The closure lasted so long because the lithium-ion batteries were highly flammable and could not be easily extinguished due to their being prone to explosions and other issues, authorities said. Lithium-ion battery fires can burn for hours or even days, according to the National Fire Sprinkler Association.

The closure significantly affected operations at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, causing some terminals to halt all labor for Thursday and Friday.

"We are committed to the health and safety of the ILWU workforce, employees of our member companies, and the residents in the surrounding communities," said Pacific Maritime Association President Stephen Hennessey. "We look forward to getting back to full operation only after we receive the all-clear from public safety authorities."