Drivers on their way to work in Los Angeles were faced with terrifying scenes along a major freeway after the fifth California wildfire this week left the hillside next to their road ablaze.
The inferno - named the Skirball Fire - has consumed more than 50 acres of land and threatens LA's exclusive Bel Air neighborhood, UCLA and the Getty Center for the arts alongside the I-405 freeway.
The freeway is now shut down as 125 firefighters and several helicopters attempt to get the blaze under control - but early-morning commuters managed to capture this stunning footage.
As they traveled gingerly passed the ferocious fire, their cars passed just feet away from the deadly - and ever-spreading - flames.
Several people captured the surreal moment on video and shared them on social media.
'Not the typical morning commute...' one driver tweeted dryly.
The Skirball Fire was spotted at 4:52am on Wednesday along Interstate 405 in Sepulveda Pass, which carries the heavily traveled highway between LA and the San Fernando Valley.
The early-morning traffic was already flowing through Sepulveda Pass when commuters noticed a glow around the Getty Center.
The fast-moving brush fire had spread rapidly up the hills on the east side of the 405, moving toward homes in Bel Air, the Getty and UCLA.
As the day wore on the road was closed down in both directions and Bel Air evacuated - with several homes in the famous neighborhood catching fire.
Winds were dying down early Wednesday, but are expected to pick up speeds in the evening - perhaps up to 50mph, causing fire to spread further, CNN reported.
The Skirball Fire is just one of five blazes now scouring Southern California, following the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, the Rye Fire near Santa Clarita, the Creek Fire near Sylmar and an as-yet-unnamed fire near San Bernardino.
As the countryside became swathed in choking smoke, on the TV shows Westworld and SWAT was postponed, as producers recalled cast and crew amid fears that they might be put at risk by the largely uncontrollable blazes.
HBO said in a statement that Westworld was filming its second season in an area near two Los Angeles County fires on Tuesday but producers decided to shut down and avoid any danger to actors or crew members.
It said the show will resume filming when conditions there are safe.
Filming on SWAT was also suspended; it's unclear when producers on that series hope to get their cast and crew back to work.
1 comment:
My niece and her family live in Sylmar and had to evacuate their home. Thankfully they're fine and so far they're home has been untouched. These horrendous fire images make me think of what the world will be like during the Tribulation.
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