A 42-year-old New Orleans man was arrested Sunday, September 20, after investigators determined that a fire set beneath the eastbound I-10 overpass at Crowder Boulevard was intentional, WDSU reported. Isaac Lee Washington was booked on an arson charge, according to the report.
The New Orleans Fire Department responded to the fire on Saturday and sought help from the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal. State investigators attributed the blaze to Washington, WDSU reported. The account does not report that the overpass was damaged; the circumstances behind the fire and further information about court proceedings were not included.
A separate highway-fire case shows the potential stakes
The New Orleans fire is distinct from a June 11, 2023, vehicle fire beneath I-95 near the Cottman Avenue exit in Northeast Philadelphia. The City of Philadelphia said that fire caused part of the highway to collapse. That precedent illustrates why fires beneath elevated highways can raise infrastructure concerns, but it does not establish that the Crowder Boulevard incident caused damage or had a similar outcome.
The Philadelphia account is from the City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management. No comparable structural damage is reported in the available account of the New Orleans case.
