Early yesterday, a brush fire spanning 36 acres led to the shutdown of the 15 freeway in both directions. Known as the Landon Fire, it began early on Thursday morning and received immediate attention from Riverside County Department firefighters, who attended the scene at Landon Drive at 5:30 a.m, as KTLA reports.
At first, the estimate had the fire spanning 7 acres with sparse fuels, but a recalculation revealed it to cover 36 acres, leaving it 40% contained, as per NBC Los Angeles. This incident precipitated the closure of Interstate 15 between Limonite Avenue and Cantu-Galleano Ranch Road, yielding significant disruptions. No evacuations were ordered, and thankfully, the freeway was reopened later that day.
Wind played a major role in advancing the Landon Fire, as it fueled the flames and expanded the affected region, though the ultimate cause of the fire remains under investigation. This wind-powered brush fire not only impacted the freeway but also harbored potential risks for the vehicles travelling the freeway. Smoke pervaded the cars on the freeway before its total closure. Additionally, the fire even started burning under the freeway, with flames ascending through the ventilation or drainage openings near the center divider of the southbound side, prompting firefighters to bedeck the vicinity with fire vehicles and cones as they fought the fire underneath, as KTLA reports.
