FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (Saturday, Nov. 15 at 4:36 p.m.) — UPDATE: Interstate 5 is now open.

FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (Saturday, Nov. 15) — Wind-whipped wildfires have closed Interstate 5 from Santa Clarita to Sylmar as blazes burned dry brush between Sylmar and Porter Ranch.

Ten Thousand residents have been evacuated as winds reached 75 miles per hour carrying flames over hillsides east and west of Interstate 5. Up to 165 homes may have been burned, as of 10:30 a.m.

The western flank of the fire is burning north of the 118 freeway, moving west and southwest.

Rolling power blackouts have begun in Los Angeles resulting from loss of large transmission lines which are burning in the fire.

CHP has requested that motorists avoid Interstate 5, the 118 freeway, the 210 freeway and avoid the Sylmar and north San Fernando Valley areas in general.

An alternate route from the Mountain Communities to the Los Angeles area from southbound I-5 is to take Highway 126 west to Fillmore and Highway 23 south through Moorpark and Thousand Oaks, then take the 101 freeway south (east) to west San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles. At Moorpark, motorists can also turn east through Simi Valley and take the 118 freeway into west San Fernando Valley.

This is part of the November 14, 2008 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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