Blaze Shuts Freeway, Snarling Traffic; Firefighter Injured

A 2,500-acre brush fire Saturday injured a firefighter, destroyed several small structures and vehicles and forced the closure of a 15-mile stretch of the Golden State Freeway near Gorman in north Los Angeles County, backing up traffic for more than six hours on the holiday weekend.

“There was lots of smoke blowing across the freeway, and we had to close it as a safety precaution,” said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson.

One Los Angeles County firefighter, he said, was taken to a hospital after being hit on the hip by a rock that tumbled down a hill. The firefighter was expected to be released Saturday night.

Haralson said the fast-moving fire also destroyed a small detached garage and an outbuilding.

Another outbuilding was damaged, and two unoccupied cars were also destroyed. Haralson said the fire came close to about 400 homes in Frazier Park.

“We had structure-protection crews in place,” he said, adding that the blaze drew firefighters from several agencies in Los Angeles and Kern counties.

Using ground crews, water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, firefighters were able to bring it to 75% to 80% containment by late Saturday, Haralson said.

The cause of the fire, which started about 12:15 p.m. at the Golden State Freeway near Gorman Road and spread quickly north into Kern County, was under investigation.