Blaze off I5 near Castaic

Because the link is most certainly going away, from The Daily News, we give you:

Crews fight Castaic fire

Blaze snarls traffic, burns 1,200 acres

By Carol Rock, Staff Writer

CASTAIC -- Firefighters worked to stop a wildfire that burned more 
than 1,200 acres north of Castaic, closing part of the Golden State
Freeway and several nearby roads on Sunday.

The fire was 50 percent contained Sunday morning, and complete
containment was expected Sunday night.

Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County 
worked around the clock to contain the blaze, which started at 
2:41 p.m. Saturday. The cause of the fire is still under 
investigation.

The fire consumed two outbuildings as well as medium to heavy 
chaparral approximately 20 to 50 years old.

The Paradise Ranch Mobile Home park was spared from the flames 
after quick work by residents who defended their homes with 
garden hoses on Saturday. A voluntary evacuation of the mobile 
home park, the Knapp Ranch and the Gillette Mine was lifted 
Sunday morning.

The California Highway Patrol closed two lanes of the northbound
I-5 Freeway near Templin Highway for six hours Sunday morning. 
The Old Ridge Route Road, Pine Canyon Road and the Ridge Route at
Templin Highway were also closed, but the latter two were reopened
Sunday.

According to Dee Dechert, fire information officer for the Forest
Service, 25 hand crews worked the fire supported by 41 engines, 5
dozers, 6 water tenders, 5 air tankers and 8 helicopters.

The area of the fire is also habitat for the California condor 
and the endangered arroyo toad.

Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock@dailynews.com