Vincent Thomas Bridge remains closed due to crash, battery fire in San Pedro

The Vincent Thomas Bridge remains closed in San Pedro Friday after a semi overturned causing several lithium batteries to explode in the trailer and catch fire Thursday.

Officials say the closure could extend into Saturday as firefighters continue to monitor the trailer, which was still in the roadway near the bridge Friday morning.

The crash occurred just before noon Thursday in the 900 block of North Seaside Avenue, though aerial footage from Sky5 showed it created a huge backup on the Vincent Thomas Bridge portion of the 47 Freeway.

Drone footage captured the moment the lithium batteries exploded inside the trailer and caught fire, prompting a hazardous materials team to be called to the scene.

Instead of attacking the blaze, fire officials decided to let the fire burn itself out.

“So it was determined that the best thing to do in this case was not to put water on it because it could be dangerous to the environment, and actually water would not be effective in putting these fires out,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Adan Van Gerpen said.

In addition to the bridge closure, several ports have also been shut down due to the incident.

No injuries were reported.

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