LOS ANGELES — A 450-foot section of important Interstate 10 near downtown Los Angeles that was damaged in a raging fire will not have to be torn down and replaced, officials said Tuesday.

The fire that erupted under the 10 freeway, as it is known locally, early Saturday has been preliminarily determined to be caused by arson — although who set it remains unknown.

“We will not need to demolish and replace the I-10,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference.

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He said the stretch of the interstate could be reopened in three to five weeks.

The fire — which broke out Saturday shortly after midnight in an area where vehicles, pallets and other materials had been stored underneath the interstate deck — damaged 100 support columns, nine or 10 of them severely, Newsom said.

The area under the interstate had been leased from the California Department of Transportation by a company that had illegally subleased it to five or possibly six other companies, officials said.