The King Fire erupted early Thursday near Gorman and was burning south toward Castaic as the morning commute got under way.
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. By 6:15 p.m. it had burned 577 acres and was 40% contained. A shelter-in-place order was issued for areas south of Gorman and east of I-5, and evacuation warnings were issued for additional areas including Paradise Ranch.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, there were no new updates on acreage or containment, according to Kaitlyn Aldana with the Fire Department.
All fixed wing tankers were released from the fire as of 10:43 a.m., according to the Watch Duty app.
The brush fire was reported at 1:02 a.m. and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel were dispatched at 1:04 a.m., according to officials with the Fire Department.
Firefighters were on the scene at 1:22 a.m., said Jonathan Torres, public information officer for the agency.
The fire began burning in all directions at 1:46 a.m., Torres said.
The fire prompted lane and ramp closures along Interstate 5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman. As of 3:20 p.m., the closures were in the No. 3 and 4 lanes just south of Smokey Bear Road and traffic was backed up to Templin Highway, according to Officer Carlos Burgos-Lopez, public information officer with the California Highway Patrol Newhall Area Office.
The No. 1 and 2 lanes were open at that time, according to Burgos-Lopez.
“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, was initially put under a “Shelter in Place” order before being downgraded to an evacuation warning.
A “Shelter in Place” 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.”
Additional 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.
