Fire Leads to Closure of Freeway Lanes

SHERMAN OAKS — A fire burned about three acres in the Sepulveda Pass on Saturday afternoon, with thick smoke forcing the closure of some lanes of the San Diego Freeway.

The blaze began at 3:30 p.m. west of the freeway, in brush near Mulholland Drive. As thick, acrid smoke blanketed the freeway, authorities closed three southbound lanes.

It took 75 firefighters and three water-dropping helicopters about an hour and 15 minutes to douse the flames, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

At one point, embers blew over the freeway and started a fire on the other side. But that flare-up was quickly put out, Humphrey said. He said a helicopter made a quick and precise water drop, “knocking down the flames before they could gain a foothold.”

No injuries were reported, and no residences were damaged, Humphrey said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.