Crews aided by air tankers and helicopters made progress Thursday against the wind-driven King Fire, which erupted before dawn along Interstate 5 in northwestern Los Angeles County.
The blaze has scorched nearly a square mile of dry brush about 60 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, prompting shelter-in-place orders for an RV park and evacuation warnings for nearby homes. By evening, the Angeles National Forest said it was 40% contained, News.Az reports, citing AP News.
Lane closures on I-5 and surrounding roads slowed traffic as firefighters battled flames in steep terrain near Smokey Bear Road. The fire is burning just north of the Canyon Fire burn scar, which destroyed seven structures and injured three firefighters earlier this month.
Elsewhere in the county, crews halted the forward spread of the 400-acre Hawk Fire near Acton, which caused brief evacuation orders and left one firefighter with minor injuries.
California’s largest blaze this year, the Gifford Fire, has burned nearly 207 square miles in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since Aug. 1 and was 41% contained Thursday.
The National Weather Service warns wildfire danger remains high amid ongoing dry conditions across Southern California.
