Firefighters battle 15-acre brush fire in Newhall that triggered evacuation of paintball facility
Firefighters were battling a 15-acre brush fire Thursday afternoon near the 5 Freeway in Newhall that triggered the evacuation of a paintball facility and destroyed an abandoned shed, officials said.
About 1:40 p.m., firefighters responded to the 23000 block of The Old Road, where flames were running uphill through medium to thick brush, said Inspector Joey Marron of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
By 5:30 p.m., the blaze had grown to 15 acres and was 20% contained, he added. Earlier estimates had placed the fire at 20 acres.
Roughly 230 air and ground crew members responded to the three-alarm blaze, with aircraft dropping water and flame retardant to stop its progress.
“We do have dozer lines already cut in that area because of previous fires,†Marron said. “Knowing what we have out there, I don’t see it going too much further.â€
No injuries have been reported. Authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze.
Several miles north, two spot fires erupted off the 5 Freeway, growing to between eight and 10 acres in an hour and a half, Marron said about 5:30 p.m. By then, firefighters had halted the spread of flames.
“It’s not growing anymore,†Marron said.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials cautioned commuters to stay away from the area, where the blaze slowed traffic on the freeway and Templin Highway.
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UPDATES:
6 p.m.: This article was updated with details on two other brush fires.
This article was originally published at 4:25 p.m.
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