CHP reopens all lanes on 5 freeway following tanker fire
All lanes on the 5 and 2 freeways near downtown Los Angeles have been reopened after a huge fuel tanker fire over the weekend, the California Highway Patrol said Tuesday morning.
The only closure still in effect is the transition between the northbound 2 to the northbound 5 -- the actual location of the fire -- which will remain closed for up to six months, CHP officials said.
Caltrans workers were working to shore up the tunnel, where a tanker truck carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline overturned and caught fire Saturday.
PHOTOS: Truck fire shuts down 5 Freeway
“The intense heat from the tanker fire caused extensive damage to the pavement, walls, support columns, drainage, and lighting,” Caltrans said in a message posted on its website.
Resulting closures on both freeways snarled traffic throughout the weekend and early Monday.
Thousands of gallons of gas from the truck also poured “a burning river of fuel” through storm drains in the Elysian Valley area, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman with the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Firefighters were deployed along a milelong stretch of the Los Angeles River to monitor the spill. It was unclear what kind of environmental risk the spill might pose.
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