Emergency crews are battling an enormous brush fire shutting down the 5 Freeway in Sun Valley on Saturday night.
Officially named the “Penrose Fire,” the incident has been escalated to “Major Emergency Status,” in response to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The huge flames were attributable to heavy winds igniting grass, trees and other nearby vegetation. Heavy smoke is causing extremely poor visibility on nearby roads.
Over 160 firefighters have been dispatched to battle the blaze including ground and air units.
Authorities are shutting down each northbound and southbound lanes of the 5 freeway between the Hollywood Freeway (SR-170) and Sunland Boulevard.
Crews were dispatched to the scene a little bit before 8 p.m. Once they arrived, the flames had jumped from vegetation to a close-by metal-clad constructing.
Citizen photos show flames erupting into the night sky as fiery debris rained down around gridlocked traffic.
Drivers are asked to avoid the world as major delays are expected.
fire risk stays high because the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for the weekend on account of gusty Santa Ana winds and low humidity across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
This developing story can be updated.
Source link
