I-10 reopens in Los Angeles weeks ahead of schedule; search for arson suspect continues
A key Los Angeles highway that was closed after an arson fire reopened Sunday night, days earlier than planned and weeks before initial estimates of the timeframe required to make repairs.
"Traffic is now flowing on all five lanes in each direction on the I-10, ahead of tomorrow morning’s commute and before the Thanksgiving holiday!" said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a post on X just before midnight. Newsom had previously said it could take as long as five weeks to repair the highway.
A 1-mile stretch of the I-10 freeway near downtown Los Angeles – which sees more than 300,000 drivers each day – has been closed since a blaze on Nov. 11 scorched the road and burned nearly 100 support columns.
Police search for arsonist
The fire was intentionally and maliciously set, according to State Fire Marshall Daniel Berlant. It was fueled by pallets, vehicles, construction materials and other items stored under the highway. No arrests have been made so far in the investigation, Newsom said in a news conference Sunday.
No injuries were reported in the fire, but 16 unhoused people were displaced, officials said.
On Saturday, Cal Fire released images of a man caught on surveillance as a person of interest in the alleged arson. The man was described as approximately 6 feet tall and 170 to 190 pounds with black hair. He's wearing a black hoodie and blue shorts in the surveillance images.
Newsom, while predicting a weekslong closure, said more than 250 people were working around the clock to make repairs.
"By working together with our federal and local partners and making this a 24/7 operation, the state is on track to open the 10 before millions of Angelenos hit the road for Thanksgiving," Newsom said.
Repairs will continue on Interstate 10
Structural test results, expedited debris removal and Newsom's state of emergency declaration helped bump the highway's reopening ahead of schedule. But repairs aren't totally done on the busy highway that connects Santa Monica to Monterey Park.
Newsom's office said last week that temporary closures will continue, typically on weekends and overnight, to address further repairs.
He also requested the California Department of Transportation and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection review all airspace and telecommunications licensing program sites as a result of the arson. The items stored in the underpass were leased out, which Caltrans said isn't unusual in an post on the "Fix the 10" webpage.
"But in this case, the leaseholder was subleasing this space in violation of the lease terms and the state had already initiated legal action against the lessor back in September 2023," the department wrote.
The Department of Transportation didn't immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.
Contributing: Kayla Jimenez, Vanessa Arrendondo, Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; The Associated Press