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Fire under 110 FWY shuts down lanes
A fire beneath the 110 Freeway in Wilmington has shut down northbound lanes for more than 24 hours as crews work to clear a debris-filled tunnel and assess damage.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A fire burning beneath the 110 Freeway in Wilmington has shut down northbound lanes for more than 24 hours as crews work to assess damage and clear a tunnel where at least one person had been living.
Firefighters flooded the tunnel to extinguish the flames, leaving it filled with water and debris.
"There’s a lot of debris in there — really kind of a filthy mess," an LAFD assistant chief said.
Just a few hundred yards away, more encampments line the freeway — with tents, trash and people living just feet from passing traffic.
"I’ve been doing this since I was 18 ... and I’m 31," one man living nearby said.
Some of those living in the area pointed to additional tunnels being used as shelter.
"I think maybe one person might have been in there," another man said when asked how many people may have been living inside the tunnel where the fire broke out.
FOX 11 also found another tunnel encampment nearby under the 110 Freeway, steps from where the fire started.
Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents the area, said his office has received multiple complaints.
"We have, and we’ve called every single one of them in," McOsker said.
The incident comes after another major fire in 2023 shut down the 10 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles for days. That fire was also believed to have been tied to a nearby encampment, though officials still have not confirmed an official cause.
Crews are now using large vacuum systems to remove water from the tunnel so engineers can inspect for structural damage beneath the freeway.
It remains unclear when the northbound lanes will reopen. Officials say the timeline depends on what is found once the tunnel is fully cleared.