Crime & Safety

Brush Fire Halts Rush Hour Traffic at 605/405 Transition

A homeless encampment is cited as the cause of the blaze, which is now extinguished.

A homeless encampment was blamed for a Wednesday afternoon brush fire that slowed traffic on the south 605 Freeway near the transition to the 405, the CHP said.

The fire broke out just after 4 p.m., creating billowing black smoke and slowing rush hour traffic to a crawl. In response, Long Beach firefighters asked the CHP to shut down the slow lane.

The blaze was extinguished by 5 p.m. and the lane reopened, a Highway Patrol spokesman Ray Payton said.

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Earlier reports blamed the fire on a vehicle that struck an embankment, but the CHP later revised the story.

It's unclear what steps Caltrans might take to deal with the homeless encampment. A in the same area.

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