15-Acre Fire Snarls Freeway Traffic
A fire consumed about 15 acres of desert brush near the Antelope Valley Freeway on Thursday afternoon, snarling traffic for almost five miles as county firefighters parked their vehicles on the road.
The fire was reported at 1:55 p.m., burning near Placerita Canyon Road and the freeway, Fire Dispatcher Betty Parker said. The 10-15 m.p.h. winds blew the blaze along the freeway, and it grew to about 15 acres before being put out about 3:30 p.m., she said.
Crews were still on the scene Thursday night to be sure it did not start again. The cause is under investigation, and no injuries were reported, Parker said.
About 70 firefighters who battled the blaze parked their engines on the side of the Antelope Valley Freeway, and the California Highway Patrol closed all but one of the lanes to make room for the fire equipment, CHP Sgt. Todd Hoose said. At its worst, traffic was backed up nearly to the intersection with the Golden State Freeway, he said, and commuters were delayed up to 30 minutes.
The jam thinned out around 6 p.m., when all lanes were opened.
Hoose said the traffic jam was bad, but he attempted to put it in perspective.
“Isn’t the 14 always backed up?” he asked.
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