A Los Angeles County Fire training exercise Tuesday morning on Templin and Golden State highways caused second-degree burns to six people, Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Highway Patrol officials said. Five were transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital.
Esteban Benitez, a spokesman for L.A. County Fire, said the injuries were called in at about 11:12 a.m. Tuesday. First responders arrived at about 11:16 a.m. About 15 minutes later, Benitez was calling the incident a first-alarm fire, with six people having received second-degree burns.
At least 115 personnel, seven engines, three helicopters, one dozer and a water tender were on the scene, Benitez said.
By noon, five burn victims were on their way to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, said Geovanni Sanchez, another L.A. County Fire spokesman.
Those injured were L.A. County Fire personnel, according to Officer Josh Greengard, spokesman for the CHP Newhall Office.
“We closed Golden State Highway down so fire could land two of their helicopters to get their injured personnel to the local hospitals,” Greengard wrote in a message to The Signal.
Interstate 5, he added, which runs parallel to Golden State Highway between Templin Highway and the Whitaker Brake Check area, was not affected by the closure.
Sanchez said investigators were on the site to determine what caused the injuries. He could not say if a controlled burn got out of control.
