200 Homes in Path of Fire

A brush fire heavily damaged one home, threatened at least 200 others in the Santa Clarita community of Golden Valley and caused the shutdown of the Antelope Valley Freeway on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

A small fire of undetermined origin started about 12:30 p.m. at San Fernando Road and the Antelope Valley Freeway, and flying embers ignited a second fire that burned at least 200 acres nearby, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. There were no serious injuries, officials said.

On Crystal Spring Court, where embers fanned by strong winds landed on the roof of the house that was damaged, some residents quickly left the neighborhood, fearful that flames would spread from house to house.

Jeannine Bohning was advised to evacuate shortly after 2 p.m. She said her son and two grandsons helped her “pack the things you can’t replace and leave the things you can buy again.”

‘“You’d be stupid not to be a little scared,” said Bohning, 62. “It was really hot, and the smell ... it was really smoky. You couldn’t keep it out of the house.”

But by early evening, many people were confident that the fire was no longer a threat.

The northbound lanes of the Antelope Valley Freeway, closed shortly after the fire started, were reopened about 5:30 p.m. between Via Princessa and Placerita Canyon Road. Southbound lanes were expected to reopen soon after.

“The winds are picking up,” Capt. Brian Jordan, a spokesman for the Fire Department, said about 6 p.m. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. Hopefully, we’ll have this contained by 6 a.m.”

Earlier, firefighters had thought the initial blaze, which quickly spread to 30 acres, was under control. But embers jumped the Antelope Valley Freeway and sparked a second fire near Placerita Canyon Road.

“We have a [wildfire] with sporadic winds that have been changing at a moment’s notice,” Fire Inspector Mike Brown said.

“These [fires] are more dangerous because they’re so unpredictable. We don’t know where the fire is going next.”

About 400 firefighters from Los Angeles County, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies fought the blaze. Forty engines were aided by half a dozen helicopters and other aircraft dropping water and fire retardant.

Four firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and one injured an ankle, officials said.

By 4:30 p.m., traffic on the northbound lanes of the Antelope Valley Freeway was backed up more than 15 miles.

California Highway Patrol Officer Doug Sweeney said, “It couldn’t have happened at a worse time as far as the traffic goes.”

The blaze was moving northeast by late afternoon.

Authorities said the home at 19654 Crystal Spring Court was heavily damaged after an ember landed on its wood shake roof and the residence was quickly engulfed by flames.

“I’m still shocked,” said homeowner Mike Zeballos, 32, as he stood on his lawn later with his fiancee, Lorena Acevedo, 30, and neighbors. “I don’t know how the fire jumped all these houses and landed on my roof.’”

Two nearby homes sustained moderate damage, fire officials said.

The fire had burned more than 200 acres by late afternoon, and 300 residents from 100 homes in the Golden Valley area were told they could go to La Mesa Junior High School for safety. Officials said few, if any, did.

“In areas where people have money, they rarely go to evacuation centers,” Jordan said. “They go to a movie or a hotel.”

Bohning’s husband, Dan Bohning, 64, got home from work at 4:30 p.m. to find that his wife had packed family pictures and other valuables in their car.

Bohning’s grandson was hosing down the wood roof. And the family’s Irish setter sat in the air-conditioned car.

“It’s precautionary,” said Bohning, who lives five houses from the house that was engulfed by flames. “This is the third fire in the 30 years I’ve been here. I’m not scared. There’s firetrucks everywhere.”

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Times staff writers Andrew Blankstein, Manuel Gamiz Jr., David Pierson and Sufiya Abdur-Rahman contributed to this report.