GORMAN, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters with air support scrambled to control a wind-driven wildfire that erupted Thursday morning in hills along Interstate 5 in northwestern Los Angeles County, officials said.
The King Fire broke out around 1 a.m. and swiftly charred around 500 acres (200 hectares) of tinder-dry brush in a lightly populated area about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of downtown LA.
An RV park was ordered to shelter in place and residents of remote homes were under evacuation warnings. The fire was 5% contained, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The California Highway Patrol closed some highway lanes as crews battled flames that raced along hillsides. Off- and on-ramps were closed near Smokey Bear Road, along with several surrounding roads just north of Pyramid Lake in a mountainous area known for hiking and boating.
The blaze is burning a few miles north of the Canyon Fire, which prompted evacuations, destroyed seven structures and injured three firefighters after breaking out Aug. 7. It was fully contained Thursday morning after charring more than 8 square miles (22 square kilometers) of LA and Ventura counties.
The Gifford Fire, California’s largest blaze so far this year, has scorched nearly 207 square miles (536 square kilometers) of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since erupting on Aug. 1. It was 41% contained on Thursday.
Wildfire risk is elevated because Southern California has seen very little rain, drying out vegetation and making it “ripe to burn,” the National Weather Service for Los Angeles warned in a statement last week.
The Associated Press
