By Signal Staff
The King Fire erupted overnight near Gorman and was burning south toward Castaic as the Thursday morning commute got under way.
The initial call of the brush fire was reported at 1:02 a.m. with the Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel dispatched at 1:04 a.m., according to officials with the Fire Department.
Firefighters were on scene at 1:22 a.m., said Jonathan Torres, public information officer for the agency.
The fast-moving fire was first reported on the 45100 block of Copco Avenue, near the Pyramid Lake RV Resort along Interstate 5, according to the Watch Duty App.
The fire began burning in all directions at 1:46 a.m., Torres said, adding that by 6:30 a.m. it had burned 490 acres and was 5% contained.
The fire prompted lane and ramp closures along Interstate 5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman. As of 9 a.m., the closures are in the No. 2, 3, 4 lanes just south of Smokey Bear Road at the time of this publication, according to Officer Carlos Burgos-Lopez, public information officer with the California Highway Patrol Newhall Area Office.
“There is a wildfire burning in northern Los Angeles County near the Caswell/Gorman area. The King Fire is currently 400 acres with 5% containment and is burning south towards Castaic,” said the sheriff’s Nixle, issued at 6:43 a.m. “Residents in nearby areas are warned to be prepared to evacuate.”
The evacuation area designated “GOR-E004,” extending from Highway 138 in the north to the area along Pyramid Lake to the south, is under a “Shelter in Place” order as of the publication of this story.
That order “means to go indoors, shut and lock doors and windows,” the Nixle said. “Prepare to self-sustain until further notice and/or contacted by emergency personnel for additional direction.”
Evacuation warnings were issued for Paradise Ranch, Hungry Valley, Gorman and the evacuation area designated “LAC-E005,” which extends east from Gorman along the south side of Highway 138.
The air attack requested for the morning’s battle against the fire included four large air tankers, four type 1 helicopters and four type 2 copters, according to Watch Duty.
The sheriff’s Nixle advised residents in the fire’s potential path to be monitor evacuation warnings and be prepared to evacuate, if necessary.
To check your evacuation status, go to protect.genasys.com. You can monitor road closures at pw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures.
