Northbound 110 Freeway closed after tunnel fire in San Pedro

The northbound 110 Freeway in San Pedro remained closed Wednesday, more than a day after a trash fire erupted in a pedestrian tunnel beneath the highway, as crews worked to clear debris and assess potential structural damage, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The closure points to a widening infrastructure threat from encampment fires: fire officials have recorded 70,000 homeless fires across Los Angeles since 2020, including 31 in the San Pedro area alone over the past four years.

The fire broke out just before 9 p.m. Monday in a pedestrian tunnel beneath the freeway, prompting authorities to shut down traffic in both directions. Southbound lanes reopened the following morning, but northbound lanes between Harry Bridges Boulevard and Channel Street remained blocked as of Wednesday morning, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze using water and foam. Crews are now removing the resulting debris — along with the large volume of water and foam deployed during the response — before engineers can inspect the tunnel for heat-related structural damage.

Caltrans spokesperson Lauren Wonder described the structural risk. "You have the heat, which could cause what we call delamination — the concrete can crash and spall. It might expose the rebar... it could impact the structural strength of the freeway," Wonder said.

Fire officials determined that items from a homeless encampment near the tunnel, including mattresses and clothing, fueled the blaze. An investigation into the fire's origin is ongoing, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

L.A. Councilmember Tim McOsker called for stronger fire detection safety measures in the wake of the shutdown.

Caltrans has not announced a timeline for reopening the northbound lanes. The investigation into the fire's origin remains ongoing.