Part of I-5 Shut Down in Bid to Curb Fire

Authorities shut down part of Interstate 5 in both directions Monday as a stubborn brush fire that has already burned more than 16,000 acres since Labor Day moved into Los Angeles County and threatened to jump the freeway.

Fire officials vowed to make their stand against the blaze at the freeway, which was expected to be closed near Parker Road in Castaic into the early morning hours and perhaps intermittently during the day depending on the behavior of the blaze.

Firefighters want to keep the fire on the west side of the freeway, fearing that if the blaze jumps to the east side, it would rapidly march into the Angeles National Forest. That could make it necessary for crews to fight the flames on two fronts.

The Day fire -- so named because it started on Labor Day -- began in a remote area of the Los Padres National Forest about 10 miles northwest of Castaic.

While it has devoured vast amounts of brushy hillside, the fire hasn’t threatened homes, and until Monday, had not caused traffic disruptions.

After burning through thousands of acres of chaparral and forest land over the last week, the fire spread east Monday afternoon to the Castaic area, prompting the freeway closure about 4:45 p.m.

Traffic was diverted over neighboring roads and highways, said Kathy Good, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

The air over I-5 near Parker Road was thick with smoke Monday night. Traffic was backed up for miles.

Some of the firetrucks spotted were from Los Angeles County, Monterey Park, Monrovia, San Marino and San Gabriel -- reinforcements called in to help contain the blaze.

Firefighters spent Monday night setting backfires on the west side of I-5 to keep the fire from jumping the freeway.

Chris Freeman, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said his department sent two strike teams, including 10 engines, to help crews from Ventura County and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection contain the fire on the west side of I-5.

At least 1,500 firefighters were battling the blaze, Good said.

U.S. Forest Service officials said hot, dry weather forecast for this week could cause additional problems for firefighters working in the rough terrain.

Today is expected to be the hottest day of the week, with temperatures reaching from 93 to 103 degrees in the valleys and 90 in the mountains, said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Humidity is predicted to be 5% to 15% with winds up to 25 mph this morning in a north-to-northeast direction.

But fire conditions could improve as the week wears on, Meier said.

“We’re expecting a pretty dramatic cooling trend Thursday with below normal temperatures, pushing humidity upward with onshore winds from the west and southwest,” she said.

Officials said the fire posed no threat to structures and had not caused any injuries.

After the blaze erupted in mountainous forest Sept. 4, fire crews were unable to reach it for the first few days because of the isolated terrain. They relied on water-dropping aircraft to fight the flames.

By the end of Friday, roughly 850 firefighters were battling the blaze, with more than 100 others working at command posts.

They were assisted by two air tankers and 16 water-dropping helicopters.

The cause of the blaze, which has cost at least $1.4 million to fight so far, is under investigation.

Los Padres, one of the largest national forests in the state, encompasses about 1.75 million acres of Central California’s coast and mountain ranges. It stretches from Monterey County into northern San Luis Obispo County and includes land in Kern, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

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amanda.covarrubias@latimes.com