All lanes of the 110 freeway leading to and from the Port of Los Angeles were shut down Tuesday morning due to a tunnel fire, authorities said.
The fire began in a tunnel under the freeway near West Harry Bridges Boulevard around 8:50 p.m. Monday and was first reported as a rubbish fire.
The California Highway Patrol closed all northbound lanes at West Channel Street around 10:50 p.m. and all southbound lanes around 3:30 a.m. at West Harry Bridges Boulevard, CHP Officer Mike Nasir said. It’s not yet known when the highway will reopen, Nasir said.
The fire began near a homeless encampment lined with wood, Los Angeles Fire Department Asst. Chief Carlos Calvillo told reporters. Firefighters haven’t been able to get inside the tunnel because of the smoke, heat and intensity. They don’t currently know if anyone is still inside the tunnel, Calvillo said.
“Its really just a fire we have to be patient with,” Calvillo told KTTV. “It’s too dangerous to put firefighters in the tunnel.”
The Port of Los Angeles has so far been unaffected by the freeway closure, port spokesperson Phillip Sanford said.
This post will be updated.
