Posted on 08/13/2006 2:35:08 PM PDT by BenLurkin
CBS) GORMAN, Calif. Firefighters battled a two alarm brush fire in Gorman whose flames were threatening a nearby power plant.
"There is a power plant that is less that 200 yards from the fire. It's (the fire) going in that direction now," said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Stan Padilla.
Fire personnel were dispatched at 12:34 p.m. to the scene off the northbound Golden State (5) Freeway near Lancaster (138) Road at Quail Lake.
No injuries were reported and the approximate number of acres burned was not immediately known.
About 50 miles south of me. I see I-5 is or was shut down.
We were leaving N/B from L.A. one Monday on I-5 a few years ago, and there was a vehicle accident which started a brush fire near Valencia. All N/B lanes were shut down, and we just turned the cars off for a few hours and visited. My sympathies to those who have to wait in the heat.
Message board sign says that the 5 is completely closed northbound. We saw it on the way home from Burbank at 2:00PM.
Went to the CHP website...... said fire dept using FWY as firebreak, letting fire burn right to I-5.
SoCal wildfire forces closure of part of Interstate 5
Sunday August 13, 2006
GORMAN, Calif. (AP) A wildfire raged across 300 acres of hillside brush in northern Los Angeles County Sunday afternoon, threatening a power plant and forcing authorities to shut down part of Interstate 5, officials said.
The fire, burning in Gorman, had forced closure of two northbound lanes, according to county fire Inspector Stan Padilla.
The blaze was several hundred yards away from a power plant, Padilla said. It wasn't immediately clear who operated the facility, he said.
At least 150 firefighters and 15 fire engines were battling the blaze after crews responded around 12:30 p.m.
A second wildfire northeast of San Jacinto in Riverside County, called the Gilman fire, had burned nearly 300 acres of steep mountainous terrain and was 15 percent contained, officials said.
No structures have been threatened by the blaze, sparked by fireworks on Saturday, fire spokesman Patrick Chandler said.
Meanwhile, another 300-acre fire, near the rural community of Snow Creek west of Palm Springs, was fully surrounded as of 6 a.m. The cause was under investigation.
SoCal wildfire forces closure of part of Interstate 5
Incident: 1425 Type: Structure or Grass Fire Location: NB I5 AT QUAIL LAKE RD info as of: 8/13/2006 4:44:07 PM
Additional Details
4:42PM SIGALERT CANCELLED & IB DELETED
4:40PM Onramps are also open
4:40PM per 78-E30 all lanes are now open both SB/NB
4:39PM per CT DOT- all lanes open NB & SB 5 - TMC
4:31PM per 78-8506 NB traffic is backed up thru the islands
4:01PM 78-E13 // from beginning of back up (possibly near Vista Del Lago) there is a four hour wait to exit info for media
3:44PM Tejon is handling SB lanes
3:39PM Sigalert & IB updated
3:39PM Hard closure WB 138 to NB 5 per 78-Eagle 30
3:38PM All Lns NB and SB closed at this time per Eagle 30 // the SB Lns will be open in about 1 Hrs - It’s closed due to pole in Rdwy per M1
3:19PM info // East Valley Rd is closed by Fort Tejon - BCast
2:55PM info for Dot -- may want to advise traffic on SR14 ,, that access to NB 5 from WB SR138 is not avail
2:53PM 1039 Caltrans, signs are up as well as they are on scene
2:48PM per 89-1 Plz have Lacords respond with sign to advise motorists that NB 5 from SR 138 WB is closed, sign should be placed in Av S area
2:43PM 1039 Lt Odle
1:59PM per 78-513/Oic - FD is using fwy as fire check ,, Fire burning to East edge of fwy, no fire personnel on fwy at this time
1:59PM Req 4 Bwatch Units, NB 5 at Quail Lake, Quail Onramp to NB 5, 138 W to NB S, and Gorman Post Rd
1:42PM 1039 Lt Hoose
1:38PM 1039 Sgt Lund
1:36PM per 78-513/Oic SB lanes still open and possibly will remain open
1:35PM Quail Onramp and Gormon Post Onramp to NB // Both in Newhall and Tejon area closed
1:30PM 1039 Sgt Pendergast at Entac
1:25PM Bleedover from Tejon / 102-51 Enrt to Gorman Post Rd
1:22PM Affirm Fire is also requesting SB lanes closed per 78-Oic , Tejon will be handling the SB closure Jfi
1:21PM <<<< NB 5 at SR138 closed >>>>
1:21PM Confirm the SB lanes to be closed?
1:20PM Ct Supv ETA 15-20
1:20PM 506 1097 W/closure WB SR138 to NB 5
1:16PM and if Possible advise ETA Thx
1:16PM Plz Roll Dot for full closure Thx
1:15PM Majority of Fire is in Tejon S area
1:14PM 100m 1097 W/Break NB at Smokey - diverting traffic
1:13PM Sigalert issued & IB updated
1:13PM Plz issue Sigalert // full closure NB lanes diverted to SR138 til further
thanks
You're welcome. :-)
I was driving back from Monterey this afternoon and ran into this....I drove right by the fire, and took a video too....will post it tomorrow!
That will be interesting. As if I can't guess, how was the traffic and how long did it take to get around the fire?
Recently I got stuck in NB traffic just South of Roscoe. It took nearly an hour to get from Roscoe to the 14.
A police car, IIRC, CHP, was sitting in the fast lane reduced in size to nearly half its regular size with the front end almost completely demolished. I saw only one other vehicle off to the side and it was similarly wrecked.
Thanks!
You're welcome!
I drove write through.....everyone was taking pictures of the fire with their cameras, camcords, cell phones...
Thanks for the link, Karl! That's a cool video you took.
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