L.A. County Fire Department officials reported that forward progress was stopped after a two-hour battle with a 47-acre brush fire that started just before 2 p.m. Tuesday along the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, near Hasley Canyon Road, according to fire officials.
Firefighters who arrived at the Bert Fire at about 2:05 p.m. requested fixed-wing aircraft to assist in the effort, according to Capt. David Dantic, noting there appeared to be a rapid rate of spread.
Reports indicated flames could be seen on the east side of the northbound lanes between Newhall Ranch and Hasley Canyon roads by about 2:20 p.m., with the fire doubling in size within about 10 minutes.
The initial prediction was that the fire could reach 100 acres within about two hours; however, firefighters stopped it before it got halfway there.
The incident was declared in hand by 4:05 p.m. The fire approached structures in the area, but there were no evacuations called for as a result of the fire.
The incident was still considered a first-alarm response as of 2:15 p.m. The fire also was threatening the U.S. Forest Service area, according to scanner reports. A second-alarm response was being coordinated by a half-hour later, according to reports from the radio scanner traffic.
Traffic was severely impacted on the northbound side of the freeway.
While there were no structures in the initial burn area, high-tension power lines were a concern and radio dispatch traffic later indicated structures were potentially threatened.
