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A massive fire that began inside a pallet yard below I-10 in downtown Los Angeles closed part of the freeway and caused a State of Emergency.

Governor Gavin Newsom made the announcement Saturday night after more than 160 firefighters scrambled to contain the blaze.

The fire was first reported shortly after midnight in the 1700 block of East 14th Street.

Firefighters from 26 companies worked to extinguish the flames after they ignited in one downtown pallet yard and spread to another.

Flames engulfed multiple trailers at the first yard, according to Los Angeles Fire Department PIO Margaret Stewart.

The blaze spread to a second pallet yard between Lawrence and Elwood street, melting some of the freeway's steel guardrails and damaging firetrucks.

By 2.30am, pallets in both yards were mostly consumed by the fire, and crews turned to bulldozers to move debris and snuff out hot spots.

A homeless encampment underneath one overpass was forced to flee as chunks of supporting concrete columns collapsed. Its unclear if there were any injuries as a result of the blaze.