Homeless camp blaze

Huntington Beach firefighters extinguished a fire inside the Edinger Street overpass to the San Diego (405) Freeway that stopped traffic in the southbound lanes near the Beach Boulevard exit Sunday.

The blaze started inside a crawl space in the overpass, most likely begun by transients who lived there, officials said.

Reported at 6:19 a.m., the fire was not extinguished until a little before 9 p.m., lasting almost 15 hours.

Firefighters had to cut a hole in the wall of the underpass to pull out the burning materials. Inside the large crawl space, measuring 25 feet long, 10 feet wide and 6 feet tall, officials found what they referred to as a “homeless camp” filled with mattresses, patio furniture, clothing and other materials.

No victims were found in the blaze, as it seems to have been abandoned earlier.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, CalTrans officials said.

“It could have started for a variety of reasons,” said California Highway Patrol officer Katrina Lundgren.