Bridge to Be Demolished After Tanker Fire

The Los Angeles freeway is closed from the 710 to the 605 after Wednesday's tanker fire

Demolition of a bridge damaged in Wednesday's tanker fire in Los Angeles is scheduled to begin Thursday morning, and an eight-mile stretch of the 60 freeway will remain closed into the weekend.

The Paramount bridge demolition will begin after crews inspect structural damage. The freeway is closed from the 710 Freeway to the 605 Freeway.

Traffic was slow Thursday morning on the westbound 10 Freeway and the 605 Freeway.

The cause of the tanker fire has not been determined. The tanker was carrying about 8,800 gallons of gasoline before it exploded into flames.

A column of black smoke billowed from the tanker as about 200 firefighters from Montebello and the Los Angeles County Fire Department converged on the area. The fire was extinguished at about 1 p.m.

"The wind conditions were such, it was kind of pushing the fire to the  south and to the east,'' said Montebello Fire Department Chief Tim Wessel. "Unfortunately, that put the main part of the fire further under the bridge,  causing further damage to the bridge.''

The vehicle's driver and a passenger were able to escape.


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