Firefighters on Monday morning were battling a trash fire burning along the Los Angeles River.
The fire started at about 9:40 a.m. just west of the River between Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street, according to Long Beach Fire Department spokesperson Dennis Garrett.
The resulting plumes of black smoke from the blaze could be seen for miles.
It was in an area that has had a few similar fires in the past because the area has become an “unofficial dumping ground” used by unhoused people living along the river, Garrett said.
Crews at the scene requested foam to help knock down the flames, Garrett said. The California Highway Patrol shut down the PCH off-ramp from the northbound 710 Freeway until at least 11:45 a.m.
Around 250 people live along the 9.5-mile segment of the L.A. River that runs through Long Beach, city officials estimated last year. Right now, Long Beach’s homelessness services bureau is in the middle of a two-year, $17.4 million project ($11 million from a state grant) to try to house as many of them as possible.
In March, they rented out the 60-bed Colonial Motel on Pacific Coast Highway and started moving in people from the river. The city’s goal is to move at least 50% of the people living on the riverbed and, eventually, funnel 80% of those into permanent housing. People in the program will also be offered drug programs, job training and other services.