King Fire: Fire near 5 Freeway in LA County reaches full containment

King Fire, Hawk Fire burn in SoCal

The King Fire in Gorman is now 40% contained, while the Hawk Fire in Acton is 42% contained.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A fire that broke out near the 5 Freeway in the northwest corner of Los Angeles County has been fully contained by firefighters.

What we know:

The "King Fire" broke out in the 45100 block of Copco Avenue in Gorman, in an unincorporated community, just after 1 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14. Fire officials said the fire then quickly spread to the Lake Hughes area. 

Authorities said winds gusted up to 30 mph during the early stages of the firefight.

Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Kern County Fire Department, and the U.S. Forest Service were battling the flames and were working to make sure the fire didn’t spread any closer to the 5 Freeway. 

The fire stretched more than 500 acres before crews eventually contained 100% of it.

DAMAGES

Fire authorities said two vehicles and two mobile homes have burned.

Dry conditions and low humidity fuel the flames

What they're saying:

"We really had a very short winter, so the vegetation – the grass, the brush, the chaparral – is extremely dry.  And because it's extremely dry, it's very receptive to fire," explained John Miller with the U.S. Forest Service. "So, all it takes is lower humidity, higher temps, and a little bit of wind, and you're going to get those dangerous rates of spread."