Blaze Destroys 2 Homes, Chars 1,370 Acres : Fire: Wind-swept flames threaten new housing tract in Canyon Country, force freeway closure before being contained.

Hot desert winds shouldered a fast-moving grass fire toward a new housing development in Canyon Country on Thursday, destroying two houses and five cars in a remote area and causing dozens of homeowners to rush back from work to pack up children, pets and belongings.

“I looked at the television and my whole canyon was on fire,” said Pamela Harding, who was at work in Studio City when she first learned of the blaze. “I said to everyone, ‘I’m out of here. This is real.’ ”

Smoke could be seen and smelled as far south as the San Fernando Valley and Agoura Hills. Near the fire lines in Canyon Country, the thick gray smoke enveloped the Antelope Valley Freeway, forcing a midday closure of a 14-mile stretch of the highway.

The 1,370-acre blaze--which is being investigated by the sheriff’s arson squad--was 100% contained by early evening, and crews were preparing to stay through the night dousing flare-ups.

Residents trying to drive to their homes in fire-threatened neighborhoods clogged the winding streets of the housing development. The main thoroughfare, Soledad Canyon Road, was at a standstill at times as police prevented all but residents from driving toward the flames.

The flames hopscotched south over the Antelope Valley Freeway around noon, but were quickly contained before advancing. More than 300 firefighters were dispatched to the hills, along with six water-dropping helicopters and five planes.

As homeowners of the Mountain View East housing tract near the fire gathered nervously in 100-degree heat to watch flames climb nearby ridges, the haze blocked the sun and visibility was reduced to a few feet.

Several residents wore bandannas around their mouths and had to shout to be heard over the howling, erratic wind.

After a frantic drive home, Harding rushed into her two-story home, looked at the white-on-white furnishings and wondered about the possibility of smoke damage. “Hopefully,” she said with a shrug, “that’s all we’ll have to worry about.”

Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Larry Duran said the fire was discovered at 9:58 a.m. just north of the Antelope Valley Freeway near Valley Canyon Road. Soon it was roaring northwest, fanned by 45-m.p.h. winds.

Before firefighters controlled the blaze at 2:30 p.m., it had destroyed the two houses and two of the cars on a secluded ridgeline, causing about $180,000 in damage.

Los Angeles County Firefighter Jerry Meehan said the fire turned away from homes thanks to good brush clearance, tile roofs and a last-minute wind change.

The blaze also inflicted emotional distress as helpless residents stood and watched the fast-approaching flames.

Homeowners on Stone Ridge Court, a cul-de-sac that jutted east toward the line of fire, had the clearest view.

Kari and Missy Liekkio had put their children in their car, and at 1 p.m. were waiting to learn whether they should evacuate. They had moved into the area a few weeks before last year’s earthquake. Now this.

“If the house burns down, it’s just part of the saga,” said Kari, a heating contractor who drove home from his job so fast that he accidentally rammed a firetruck.

Karen Stepp packed up a dog and a cat for a friend on Quezada Street, and was about to join the line of cars exiting the development with horse trailers, boats and campers in tow. “When I got here, the smoke was everywhere, you couldn’t breathe, and you couldn’t even see this hill,” she said, pointing to the left.

Not far away on Tick Canyon Road, where the two homes burned, a ranch owner asked the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for help in evacuating two tigers and a grizzly that she keeps in cages. A deputy was dispatched to assist, but the animals were never in serious danger, a Fire Department spokesman said.

Fretting that pets in the housing development might be trapped by the flames before their owners could rescue them, a Glendale animal-lover braved the traffic jam to roam the streets of the area in a van.

“We spot where the dogs are, and if it gets bad we come back and get them,” said Leo Grillo, a volunteer for an organization called Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals. “I’m one guy who in this situation will break and enter.”

By late afternoon, the worst fears were over. Firefighters cautioned that high winds could kick up at any time, but reopened the Antelope Valley Freeway shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Kari Liekkio said the fire had excited his 3-year-old son more than it had scared him. “Now he’s going to want this every day,” Liekkio said, grinning.

Contributing to this story were Times staff writer Frank Williams and correspondent Danica Kirka.