Blaze Burns 15 Acres of Brush

Firefighters put out a wind-whipped brush fire that burned 15 acres near the Golden State Freeway on Sunday, averting more serious problems on a day in which Santa Ana winds were clocked in excess of 35 mph.

The blaze, initially reported as a grass fire around 1:10 p.m., broke out in a remote area near San Fernando Road and Sierra Highway before burning into deeper brush, said Bob Collis, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

Several dozen Los Angeles firefighters battled the flames with help from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, U. S. Forest Service and California Department of Forestry, Collis said. The fire was extinguished in about 50 minutes.

The cause of the fire is not known, Collis said.

No injuries or damage were reported. As a precaution, however, the California Highway Patrol closed all lanes of the northbound Golden State Freeway near the 210 Freeway at the time the fire was reported, spokesman Richard Perez said. All lanes were reopened at 3:39 p.m.

Stacey Johnstone, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times, said the moderate Santa Ana conditions--where high-pressure air over the Great Basin causes hot, dry winds to sweep down coastal canyons to the sea--would diminish by Sunday evening.

Today and Tuesday, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys may experience breezy conditions as high temperatures hit the low to mid-80s, Johnstone said.

As the week wears on, temperatures will fall into the upper 70s and low 80s.