SANTA MONICA, California — A new fire broke out early Wednesday morning near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles, shutting down the busiest road in the United States in the midst of the early commute.
Those already on the 405 shared photos and videos of the blaze on social media. Los Angeles fire authorities closed down the freeway shortly thereafter, disrupting the morning commute for hundreds of thousands of people traveling between Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
The blaze appeared to be burning across from the Getty Center museum, one of L.A.’s cultural landmarks and home to a priceless collection of art.
Schools were closed in the area and some local residents were ordered to evacuate.
Southern California is suffering an outbreak of large wildfires, thanks in part to strong Santa Ana winds and dry conditions that are expected to persist through most of the week. Smoke had already spread throughout the west Los Angeles area from wildfires further north by Tuesday morning.
Update: The Los Angeles Times reports that several homes in the wealthy neighborhood of Bel Air were burning.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He was named one of the “most influential” people in news media in 2016. He is the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.