Vincent Thomas Bridge still closed after truck with lithium-ion batteries overturns

The Vincent Thomas Bridge and the 47 Freeway remained closed Friday after a truck loaded with lithium-ion batteries overturned and sparked a fire on Thursday.

The overturned truck also prompted the closure of four terminals at the Port of L.A.

David Ortiz with the Los Angeles Fire Department told KNX News’ Jon Baird on Friday morning that fire officials were still working on how to safely handle the truck.

“Different ideas are being kicked around whether we're gonna drag it and or use a forklift and move it into a nearby property or allow it to just cool itself down and then put it on a truck and haul it away,” he said.

He added that firefighters decided it was safer not to pour water on the truck.

“Because it takes copious amounts of water to be able to extinguish a sealed battery pack and there's no certainty that it actually extinguishes the fire, we've chosen not to put any water on this fire and just allowed it allowed itself to burn itself out,” he said.

Oritz also said firefighters are not sure if the cargo is still burning.

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“It's still emanating heat as it is with lithium-ion batteries,” he said. “It's hard to tell because these are sealed battery units and the sealed packs will sometimes go and start emitting flames for an hour or two and then stop. “

He added that a lot of materials used in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries are bad for the environment and it’s safer to let it burn out.

On Friday afternoon, LAFD officials said they had devised a plan to move the container full of batteries to an open lot on Terminal Island, where it could burn out with less impact on traffic.

KNX News' Pete Demetriou reported that crews had attached hooks to the container and were in the process of detaching it from the big rig. It will then be loaded onto a flatbed truck and carried to a remote railyard near a fire station to cool off.

"We have to be methodical about the way that we are approaching this incident, making sure that we are not acting hastily and putting firefighters or responders or workers here in the port at risk by making decisions prematurely because there's pressure to open up this roadway," Ortiz said.

There was no timeline set for reopening of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.

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