Lax oversight by California's transportation agency contributed to a destructive blaze last year that consumed a vital section of a Los Angeles freeway used by hundreds of thousands of commuters, according to a state audit.
While authorities determined the fire was arson, the Office of the Inspector General for the California Department of Transportation said the agency conducted its required annual inspections of lots under Interstate 10 only five times in 15 years and failed to fully document those inspections. When Caltrans discovered problems, it failed to act.
