Current:Home > Contact-usInvestigators identify ‘person of interest’ in Los Angeles freeway arson fire-InfoLens
Investigators identify ‘person of interest’ in Los Angeles freeway arson fire
View Date:2024-12-23 14:25:21
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Investigators on Saturday identified a “person of interest” in the Los Angeles arson fire last week that closed a central freeway for days, snarling traffic as repair crews work around the clock to fix it.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, and the State Fire Marshal released two photos in a “crime alert notification” posted to social media and said it was seeking the public’s help to identify the person.
The individual was described as a man 30 to 35 years old, about 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall and weighing between 170 pounds (77 kilograms) and 190 pounds (86 kilograms). Details about how he was identified were not immediately released.
The photographs show him wearing blue shorts, a black hooded sweatshirt, a green scarf and a brace on the right knee. The individual is carrying a backpack and “appears to have visible burn injuries” on the left leg, the bulletin states.
Representatives for the mayor, the governor and the state fire marshal did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The state fire marshal oversees the agency’s Arson and Bomb Unit, which is investigating the fire.
All lanes of Interstate 10 near downtown are expected to reopen by Tuesday, far ahead of the initial three-to-five week schedule. Crews were brought in to shore up the mile-long stretch after the blaze last Saturday burned about 100 support columns.
The fire spread quickly over 8 acres (3 hectares) and was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials, hand sanitizer and other items being stored under the freeway in an industrial neighborhood. No injuries were reported, but at least 16 homeless people living in an encampment there were taken to shelters.
The arson investigation was ongoing, officials said. No arrests have been made, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has said investigators are trying to determine if more than one person was involved.
An estimated 300,000 vehicles use the stretch of freeway daily, which runs east-west across the heart of the metropolis and connects with other major highways. The city has been urging people to avoid the area, take buses and trains or work from home.
veryGood! (8661)
Related
- Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
- Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans Shares Family Photo After Regaining Custody of Son Jace
- This Adorable $188 Coach Outlet Bag Is Currently on Sale for $75— & Reviewers Are Obsessed
- Gas stoves leak climate-warming methane even when they're off
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Something Corporate
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hospitalized for dehydration amid heat wave
- Climate scientists say South Asia's heat wave (120F!) is a sign of what's to come
- The future cost of climate inaction? $2 trillion a year, says the government
- NATO’s Rutte calls for more Western support for Ukraine, warns of Russian alliances
- Watch Kris Jenner Yell at Assistant James Corden for Showering in Kylie Jenner's Bathroom
Ranking
- Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Details to Meri Why She Can't Trust Ex Kody and His Sole Wife Robyn
- Ukraine is advancing, but people in front-line villages are still just hoping to survive Russia's war
- Beauty Influencer Amanda Diaz Swears By These 10 Coachella Essentials
- California is getting a very dry start to spring, with snowpack far below average
- Wicked's Ethan Slater Shares How Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Set the Tone on Set
- Democrat Gavin Newsom to face Republican Brian Dahle in California race for governor
- A sighting reveals extinction and climate change in a single image
- A previously stable ice shelf, the size of New York City, collapses in Antarctica
Recommendation
-
‘COP Fatigue’: Experts Warn That Size and Spectacle of Global Climate Summit Is Hindering Progress
-
Kourtney Kardashian Mistaken for Sister Khloe During Drunken Vegas Wedding to Travis Barker
-
Can Skiing Survive Climate Change?
-
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $240 Crossbody Bag for Just $59
-
Jelly Roll goes to jail (for the best reason) ahead of Indianapolis concert
-
Love Is Blind’s Marshall Reveals He Dated This Castmate After the Show
-
Climate change fueled extreme rainfall during the record 2020 hurricane season
-
Max's Harry Potter TV Adaptation Will Be a Decade-Long Series With J.K. Rowling