Early on a Monday morning, chaos unfolded on the 5 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley as a big rig trailer erupted into flames, leading to a brush fire that disrupted traffic and drew a robust response from Los Angeles firefighters. The incident, taking place just before 5 a.m. on the southbound side, north of the 405 Freeway, saw the right three lanes shuttered as the fire took hold, based on reporting by KTLA.
The blaze, which spread to adjacent brush and grass, encompassed at least half an acre. The vegetation fire remains uncontained. The driver was uninjured, and there is currently no immediate threat to structures, as per the LAFD.
According to KTLA, the video showed cars driving past as flames climbed the hillside. Aerial footage from Sky5 captured firefighters dousing the big rig and halting the fire’s spread.
With the fire advancing at a troubling pace at daybreak, LAFD crews intensified their effort and, by 5:33 a.m., successfully halted the progress of the brush fire, the extent of burned acreage yet to be determined at that early hour. LAFD crews will remain on scene through daybreak to fully extinguish hotspots and establish a bare-earth perimeter around the burned area. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
