Fire Chars 275 Acres, Closes Freeway Lanes

A fire that consumed 275 acres of brush near Santa Clarita forced the partial closure of the Antelope Valley Freeway and threatened 15 homes before being contained late Sunday.

At the height of the fire, 300 firefighters from stations throughout Los Angeles County and the Angeles National Forest worked to extinguish the blaze, according to Charlotte Kramer, a supervising fire dispatcher with the county Fire Department.

There were no injuries.

A California Highway Patrol officer spotted the fire on the west side of the freeway in a rural area of Agua Dulce just after 5 p.m., authorities said.

Five helicopters and two fixed-wing planes dropped water on the fire. At its peak, the flames came within a few hundred feet of the nearest structure. “Although buildings were threatened, we haven’t lost any,” Kramer said.

Fighting the fire was made more difficult by the steep, hillside terrain, thick brush and winds up to 20 mph, officials said.

“It was very inaccessible,” said Inspector Gary Cleveland of the county Fire Department.

The southbound lanes of the freeway were closed at 5:40 p.m., causing long traffic delays. One lane was was reopened two hours later. The fire was contained at 9:30 p.m., though crews were expected to remain overnight.

Flames reached the edge of the freeway, but firefighters were able to keep the fire from jumping the highway, Cleveland said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Sunday, but officials said it did not appear to be suspicious in origin.

* WEEKEND BRUSH FIRES

Firefighters battle blazes in San Bernardino, Riverside counties. B9