A brush fire that erupted early Thursday morning has scorched hundreds of acres near the 5 Freeway and prompted a shelter-in-place warning for some residents in the Gorman area.
The King Fire was reported shortly after 1 a.m., burning in dry brush east of the freeway at Smokey Bear Road.
The blaze quickly spread to 394 acres and was 5% contained as of 6:24 a.m., according to a Cal Fire update.
The fire prompted a temporary closure of the 5 Freeway in both directions, but travel through the area was later resumed with motorists urged to use caution.
A shelter in place warning has been ordered east of the 5 Freeway and south of Highway 138. “Remain alert to conditions and follow all instructions from field emergency responders,” the County of Los Angeles website states.
Evacuation warnings are also in place for the Hungry Valley area west of the 5 Freeway and the Paradise Ranch area east of the freeway. “Those in this area should be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice,” the site says.
KTLA Metorologist Henry DiCarlo noticed that winds in the area were starting to gust near 30 mph Thursday monring.
“Wind is never good news, but if there is some good news to this type of wind at least it has some higher humidity to it,” Henry said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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