Sepulveda Pass Fire Update: Wildfire Breaks Out Near Getty Center

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UPDATE: 12:26 p.m. EST – The Skirball Fire alongside California’s 405 Freeway Wednesday shut down both lanes of the highway. Mandatory evacuations were in place for parts of Los Angeles’ Bel-Air neighborhood, KTLA-TV reported.

“We don’t have a good feel on which direction this fire is heading,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.

Original story:

A wildfire in Southern California broke out along the 405 Freeway Wednesday morning,

Yet another wildfire broke out in Southern California this week, this one along the 405 Freeway. The blaze was in the Sepulveda Pass near the Getty Center and the Skirball Cultural Center and caused the closure of portions of the highway.

The fire was reported at around 4:50 a.m. local time, according to CBS News. Homes in the area were being evacuated, including those on Bundy Canyon Road and Mandeville Canyon Road. It remained unclear whether any structures had been damaged or destroyed in the fire. There were no injuries yet reported, according to KABC-TV.

Some 200 firefighters were deployed to the scene to combat the blaze, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. Crews were working against 25 mph winds, though authorities said the fire was traveling uphill and was driven by the landscape and not the wind. Both lanes of the 405 Freeway were closed as a result of the fire.

Firefighters were also battling other massive blazes in Southern California. In Ventura County, the Thomas Fire spread to over 50,000 acres as of early Wednesday morning. Gov. Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency as 27,000 people were evacuated from their homes, the Los Angeles Times reported. At least 1,000 firefighters were deployed to the scene.

“This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we’ll continue to attack it with all we’ve got,” Brown said. “It’s critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so.”

Another fire, dubbed the Creek Fire, raged near Sylmar and Kagel Canyon. The fire burned more than 11,000 acres by Wednesday morning and had destroyed an estimated 30 homes, KTVU-TV reported. Some 100,000 people have evacuated already, and Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said crews would likely be battling the blaze for days.

“This has only just begun,” said Terrazas.

The multiple wildfires in Southern California were spreading so fast in part due to what officials called the strongest Santa Ana winds of the season. Firefighters worked against high winds, hampering their ability to contain the fires. It remained unclear at the time what caused each wildfire.