Brush Fire Causes Major Traffic Jam
A small brush fire in a dry, rocky area northeast of Simi Valley caused a major traffic jam Friday afternoon as cars slowed to watch the blaze during the rush-hour crunch.
The five-acre fire erupted at about 4:50 p.m. in the Rocky Peak area near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Commuters heading into Ventura County could see the flames from the hillsides of the Santa Susana Pass.
Firefighters from Ventura and Los Angeles counties, along with crews from the city of Los Angeles, converged on the blaze with trucks and five helicopters and knocked it down by 6 p.m.
But the California Highway Patrol said traffic along the Ronald Reagan Freeway remained clogged until about 7:30 p.m.
Sandi Wells, spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department, said cool weather and vigilant firefighters got the blaze extinguished quickly.
“It’s a good reminder that we are still in the fire season and we haven’t really had [a fire] yet,” Wells said, noting that the fire season technically ends Nov. 15. “Next week, we are supposed to get Santa Ana winds.”
The cause of Friday’s fire remains under investigation.
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