SAN PEDRO, Calif.—Much of the Port of Los Angeles was inaccessible Friday after a big rig hauling large lithium batteries overturned and caught fire, leaving the primary roadway into the area—including the Vincent Thomas Bridge—closed to traffic, and the Port of Long Beach was also affected.
The rig overturned shortly before noon Thursday in the 900 block of North Seaside Avenue. The truck rolled on its side, and its cargo caught fire.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the scene, but due to the nature of the lithium batteries, crews backed away and opted to let the fire burn itself out, noting that putting water on the blaze would have done little to actually fully douse the flames, and potentially cause more of an environmental hazard.
The fire burned through the day Thursday, and the cargo was continuing to emanate heat.
“We have drones that are monitoring the heat,” LAFD spokesman David Ortiz told Fox11 Friday morning. “It’s hard to tell because these are sealed batteries and we don’t know if these chain reaction thermal runaways will continue to reignite or by us moving it, make a bigger problem and create another fire.”
The Seaside (47) Freeway was closed between Harbor Boulevard in San Pedro on the west side of the Vincent Thomas Bridge and the Long Beach (710) Freeway to the east. The closure prompted a major backup of traffic—largely truck traffic—in the area.
California Highway Patrol officials indicated that the Vincent Thomas Bridge could potentially remain closed for as long as 24 to 48 hours.
There were no reports of injuries, and it was unclear what caused the truck to roll on its side.
Firefighters will continue to monitor the fire throughout the day, LAFD spokesman Nicholas Prange said, but it was unclear when crews might be able to remove the truck and its cargo, or when the roadway might reopen.
The Port of Los Angeles, and the neighboring Port of Long Beach, is one of the busiest cargo-handling complexes in the world.
“Port of Los Angeles operations have been impacted by an incident Thursday afternoon involving an overturned tractor-trailer carrying a load of lithium batteries,” the Port of Los Angeles announced in a statement. “The incident occurred near Ocean and Navy Way on Terminal Island. Traffic is being re-routed away from the area and all motorists are advised to use alternate routes.
“APM Terminals, Fenix Marine, Everport and Yusen Terminals will be closed Friday as local fire, hazmat and police agencies continue to work on scene. Trapac and West Basin Container Terminal will remain open, along with the World Cruise Center,” the Port of Los Angeles statement said.
“Los Angeles Port Police and senior port officials are working with responding agencies, container terminal operators, union officials and other stakeholders to ensure safety and minimize disruptions,” the Port of Los Angeles statement said.
“The Battery fire incident at Navy Way in the Port of Los Angeles continues to impact operations at nearby terminals in the Port of Long Beach on Friday,” the Port of Long Beach said in a statement on its website Friday.
“Two Port of Long Beach container terminals—at Pier T and Pier A—will remain closed for the day shift (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) today due to proximity to the fire. They will reassess resumption of operations at a later time.
“All other container terminals—LBCT, ITS, PCT and SSA at Pier C—are open today. The Port of Long Beach continues to coordinate with and support the Los Angeles Fire Department, which is overseeing the battery fire incident. Motorists are advised to avoid the area, due to the closure of Ocean Boulevard in the Port of Los Angeles, as well as the westbound Vincent Thomas Bridge,” the Port of Long Beach statement said.
“At this time it is not expected that the incident will greatly impact the flow of cargo at the Port of Long Beach,” the Port of Long Beach statement said.
