15,000-acre fire near 5 Fwy continues to burn in Gorman area

Firefighters have increased their containment of a large wildfire that is burning in steep, hard-to-reach areas and threatens critical infrastructure in Gorman, officials said. But hot, dry and windy weather could hamper their efforts.

The fire was 24% contained Tuesday morning after wind caused explosive growth over the weekend along the 5 Freeway.

“Weather conditions are making it difficult to control the fire,” the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in an update Monday evening. “Important structures like power lines, dams and oil pipelines are at risk.”

Strong winds from the north mean the fire is expected to continue moving south, the department said. High temperatures and low humidity are forecast for Tuesday. Wind gusts could reach 55 mph.

Authorities had previously warned residents of Castaic, where about 19,000 people live, that they should prepare to leave if the fire spread south.

The fire has ravaged more than 24 square miles and forced the evacuation Saturday of at least 1,200 campers, off-roaders and hikers from the Hungry Valley Recreation Area.

The fire broke out Saturday afternoon near Highway 5. Two structures burned in the evacuated recreation area.

The majority of the more than 1,000 firefighters assigned to the fire were focused on its southern edge, near popular Pyramid Lake, which was closed as a precaution Sunday and Monday.

The fire broke out as the weather turned hot and windy in an area where grasses brought in by a rainy winter have now dried and are used as fuel.

The smoke moved east, causing light haze in the Las Vegas area. Authorities advised children, the elderly and people with respiratory and heart conditions to stay indoors.

About 75 miles to the east, the Hesperia Fire was more than 70% contained Monday evening. The fire broke out Saturday and forced road closures and evacuation warnings in San Bernardino County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.