Wildfire near LA spreads to 11,000 acres, sparking evacuations

(LOS ANGELES) — A Southern California wildfire doubled in size overnight, causing the evacuation of more than 1,000 campers from a park, closing a popular recreation area on Father’s Day and threatening a major freeway in and out of Los Angeles, authorities said. 

The Post Fire was burning out of control Sunday near Gorman, California, in the Tejon Pass area of Los Angeles County. The blaze started just before 2 p.m. PT on Saturday in the mountainous region and gusty winds caused flames to quickly spread to 5,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). 

On Sunday morning, the fire had grown to more than 11,000 acres with zero percent containment, according to Cal Fire. 

At least two structures have been damaged by the fire, Cal Fire said. No injuries have been reported. 

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday. 

More than 300 firefighters, including air tanker crews, are battling the fire from the ground and sky, authorities said. 

About 1,200 campers at the Hungry Valley Park State Vehicular Recreation Area were ordered to evacuate Saturday night, and authorities closed Pyramid Lake, which was expecting thousands of visitors for Father’s Day, due to the threat of the Post Fire, Cal Fire said. 

The fire was burning parallel to Interstate 5, a major artery in and out of Los Angeles. The freeway was briefly closed on Saturday, triggering a traffic jam through the area, officials said.

The wind-driven fire was pushing east Sunday toward the Arrowhead Equestrian Estates in Hesperia, where residents were under an evacuation warning, according to Cal Fire. 

The Hesperia Fire was 5% contained Sunday morning. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.