Massive downtown LA pallet fire shuts down 10 Freeway interchange

Around 164 firefighters, from 26 Los Angeles Fire Department stations worked to put out an early Saturday morning massive pallet fire in downtown Los Angeles which has shut down a portion of the 10 Freeway interchange indefinitely.

The fire was first reported around 1:45 a.m. in the 1700 block of East 14th Street where the first of two fires was burning in a 40,000-square-foot pallet yard, directly under the 10 Freeway at Alameda Street.

Update: Thousands to feel traffic impact on I-10 after destructive pallet yard fire in DTLA

That radiant heat from the first fire caused flames to spread to a second nearby pallet yard of similar size between Lawrence and Elwood streets according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

While a fire engine and several cars were burned, crews were able to protect three commercial buildings from burning. There were no reported injuries

As of 6:30 a.m., LAFD and Caltrans were at the scene, dousing hot spots, cleaning up, and assessing the integrity of the charred roadway, as there is broken concrete, melted steel, and guardrails.

A representative from the California Highway Patrol said at this point, it's looking like a 24-hour road closure. 

"If your are planning to come to downtown, and I'm not saying it's going to affect the weekday, and again, start anticipating, what will be your route, what is going to be the way in, and anticipate the delays that it's going to cause..." the CHP spokesperson said. 

Around noon, Caltrans put out a tweet on X saying the 10 Freeway will be "fully closed until further notice" between the East LA Connector and Alameda Street. 

The agency said to avoid the area, seek alternate routes, and expect major delays in that downtown area.