<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1A63Qw_0pcm99Y400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1A63Qw_0pcm99Y400" width="650" height="418" ><figcaption>In this photo provided by the California Department of Transportation, a Los Angeles firefighter uses a robotic hose to douse a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Nov. 11, 2023.&nbsp;Caltrans District 7 via AP) (Richard Vogel/AP) </figcaption></figure> LATEST Nov. 13, 6:10 p.m. It's still unclear how long it will take before the damaged stretch of Interstate 10 is back and up and running for LA drivers. LA Mayor Karen Bass is <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/i-10-closure-california-crisis-18488399.php" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> urging drivers to stay home </a> and avoid the area, if possible, because the city's "streets cannot handle 300,000 cars,” the number estimated to travel over I-10 each day. “It’s disrupting in every way, whether you are talking about traveling to and from work or your child care plans and the flow of goods and commerce, this will disrupt the lives of Angelenos,” Bass said. Beyond a massive traffic headache, the closure is expected to be felt well beyond the metropolis, including possibly slowing the transport of goods from the twin ports of LA and Long Beach, federal officials have said. The ports handle more than half the goods coming into the country. “This isn’t going to be resolved in a couple of days, and it’s not going to take a couple years," Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt told The Associated Press. "But whether it’s weeks or months, we’re still too early to tell.” <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3wJqSl_0pcm99Y400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3wJqSl_0pcm99Y400" width="650" height="448" ><figcaption>Damaged freeway columns are seen as Los Angeles firefighters mop up from a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the freeway in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023.&nbsp; (Richard Vogel/AP) </figcaption></figure> Meanwhile, an investigation into the fire's source has pointed to arson, California officials said late Monday. Gov. Gavin Newsom said investigators were trying to determine if one person or more were involved. He gave no other details.&nbsp;“I have to stress that we have determined what started the fire,” <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/los-angeles-motorists-urged-to-take-public-18487579.php" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Newsom told reporters. </a> Nov. 12, 5 p.m. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents to stay home Monday to mitigate traffic-related impacts caused by the closure of Interstate-10 over the weekend. Officials described the incident as a detriment to one of the busiest freeways in California that typically sees 300,000 people driving through it every day. "While we are going through this crisis, we would like for employers who can have their staff work remotely to do so," Bass said during a Sunday afternoon&nbsp;press conference. "Like I said earlier, this is an emergency." Officials said&nbsp;there was still no timeline for reopening the freeway. People are advised to take&nbsp;public transit if traveling in and around downtown Los Angeles; those who are&nbsp;driving past the city are advised to stay on the freeway and use alternative routes like Interstate-5, Interstate-110, and state route 60. People were encouraged to carpool if possible and add 15 to 30 minutes to their commute time. More information on detours and traffic updates will be relayed at <a href="https://emergency.lacity.gov/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> emergency.lacity.gov. </a> All schools will be open tomorrow, but a handful were expected to be "significantly affected," including Para Los Niños Elementary, 9th Street/Para Los Niños Middle School, Inner City Arts, St. Turibius Catholic, Metropolitan High, 20th Street Elementary and 28th Street Elementary, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. Still, he stressed preserving "a degree of normalcy" for students. Some bus routes may be affected; parents responsible for transporting their children to school were told to expect significant travel delays. Bass said traffic officers would be on site to provide assistance on impacted roads and urged people to heed their instructions. California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin said structural engineers still need to assess the integrity of the bridge&nbsp;columns and the deck underneath the bridge and that Caltrans had secured a $3 million emergency contract to clear hazardous material, handle road closures and conduct possible restoration of the structure. "This challenge on the I-10 is the number one priority for the governor," Omishakin said. Officials are still working to determine the cause of the wood pallet fire. Because the blaze broke out on state property, arson investigators with Cal Fire are taking the lead on the investigation and expect to share an update during another press conference on Monday morning. Nov. 12, 6:35 a.m. The closure of Interstate-10 in <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/la/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Los Angeles </a> has prompted a state of emergency declaration by Gov. Gavin Newsom. As of Sunday afternoon, there's no estimated time of reopening for the major artery that runs through the heart of LA. "That is being assessed in real time," Newsom said at a press conference at 1:30 p.m. Hazmat teams and Cal Fire investigators are currently at the scene, Newsom said, and structural engineers will be able to get a better look at the damage after concerns about hazardous materials are allayed. Although "dozens and dozens" of columns are damaged, Newsom said the bigger concern is the bridge deck itself. If the bridge deck is badly damaged, it could take much longer to make the roadway safe for drivers once again. "This is one of those heaven and earth moments," Newsom said. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1kd70z_0pcm99Y400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1kd70z_0pcm99Y400" width="650" height="434" ><figcaption>Los Angeles firefighters mop up damage from a fire that severely damaged a section of Interstate 10 in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Authorities say firefighters have mostly extinguished a large blaze that burned trailers, cars and other things in storage lots beneath a major highway near downtown Los Angeles, forcing the temporary closure of the roadway. (Richard Vogel/AP) </figcaption></figure> The traffic nightmare began shortly after midnight Saturday, when a fire started in a storage lot on the 1700 block of E 14th Street below an overpass, burning through parked cars, trailers and wood pallets on both sides of the highway. The inferno was so intense that a fire truck was damaged, and "firefighters also had to work around downed high tension wires when a cross arm fell on 14th street, potentially energizing the water flowing in the gutter," the Los Angeles Fire Department wrote in a <a href="https://www.lafd.org/news/storage-yard-blaze-downtown-los-angeles" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> statement </a> . Over 160 firefighters worked the scene, eventually putting out the eight-acre fire — the equivalent of six football fields of damage. By late Saturday morning, the fire was contained, allowing Caltrans workers to begin surveying the area. Photos show charred and cracked concrete pillars that hold up the overpass. A cause for the fire has not yet been released, but Newsom said there is already "current litigation" against the company that leases the land around the freeway; he declined to comment further about the alleged violations at the site. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0H2avo_0pcm99Y400" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0H2avo_0pcm99Y400" width="650" height="488" ><figcaption>This photo provided by Caltrans shows the damage of columns from a fire under Interstate 10 that severely damaged the overpass in an industrial zone near downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (Caltrans District 7 via AP) </figcaption></figure> I-10 between the 110 freeway and Alameda Street is closed until further notice, Caltrans said. According to the city, these detours are in place: Eastbound I-10 "Exit the freeway at the Alameda Street and 16th Street. To detour back onto the freeway, head northbound on Alameda, eastbound on Olympic Boulevard, and re-enter the 10 East mid-block on the approach to Lemon Street. Alternatively, head northbound on Alameda, eastbound on 7th Street, and enter the 5 freeway. All 10 eastbound freeway on-ramps between the 110 freeway and Alameda are closed at this time." Westbound I-10 "Re-enter the 10 freeway westbound by traveling west on Washington Boulevard, north on Central Avenue, and west again on 16th Street." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I-10 remains FULLY CLOSED until further notice between the East LA interchange &amp; Alameda St due to a fire that damaged the fwy. Avoid the area, expect major delays &amp; seek alternate routes to events in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DTLA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow"> #DTLA </a> or use <a href="https://twitter.com/metrolosangeles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow"> @metrolosangeles </a> public transit. See detour for WB. &amp; EB I-10 👇 <a href="https://t.co/oBduHIFTXY" rel="nofollow"> pic.twitter.com/oBduHIFTXY </a> — Caltrans District 7 (@CaltransDist7) <a href="https://twitter.com/CaltransDist7/status/1723745828068848103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" rel="nofollow"> November 12, 2023 </a></blockquote> Motorists should check with <a href="https://dot.ca.gov/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Caltrans </a> or <a href="https://emergency.lacity.gov/updates" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> LA's emergency alerts site </a> before heading out. About 300,000 motorists use that stretch of highway each day, Newsom said. “Unfortunately, there’s no reason to think that this is going to be over in a couple of days,” &nbsp;Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “We cannot give you an estimate of time right now.” In order to free up more funding and reduce bureaucratic red tape, Newsom declared a <a href="https://twitter.com/CAgovernor/status/1723537755010187394" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> state of emergency </a> in Los Angeles County on Saturday night. “The state is mobilizing resources and taking steps to ensure any necessary repairs are completed as soon as possible to minimize the impact on those traveling in and around Los Angeles,” he said in a statement. Newsom said he expects the fire investigation to be done by 6 a.m. Monday. When asked by a reporter at the press conference whether the reopening timeline could be as long as "months or years," Newsom declined to be more specific. "We'll know a lot more tomorrow morning," he added. The Associated Press contributed to this report. More News — <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/chen-waldron-wedding-utah-trash-18484326.php" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Calif. tech investor's wedding trashed base of renowned landmark </a> — <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/sf-restaurants-reservations-apec-18488745.php" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> SF restaurants close, see reservations plummet due to APEC </a> — <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/surfer-pulled-out-at-ocean-beach-dies-18478884.php" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> San Francisco surfer, father of 2 dies after accident at Ocean Beach </a> — <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/2-journalists-visiting-sf-for-apec-robbed-18489328.php" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> 2 journalists visiting SF robbed at gunpoint in North Beach </a></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Los Angeles mayor urges people to stay home Monday after I-10 closure

There's no estimated time of reopening for the major artery that runs through the heart of LA.