An out-of-control wildfire raging along the Los Angeles and Ventura county border prompted numerous road closures in the area and created a traffic mess for evacuated residents trying to flee the destructive flames on Friday.
A stretch of the 101 Freeway was closed just before 6 a.m., as flames from the Woolsey Fire jumped the highway near Liberty Canyon Road in Agoura Hills.
As of 5 p.m., all lanes of the 101 were shut down north and southbound between Lindero Canyon to Valley Circle, according to Lt. Kevin Kurker of the California Highway Patrol.
Elsewhere, parts of the Pacific Coast Highway were closed through Malibu amid concerns the fire would make what one Ventura County Fire Department captain called a “historic” run to the ocean.
The northbound PCH was closed at Topanga Canyon (State Route 27), while southbound lanes were shut down at Leo Carrillo State Beach, at the county line.
Later, the California Highway Patrol converted four lanes of the southbound highway to one-way traffic all the way to the eastbound 10 Freeway in Santa Monica.
“Please don’t attempt to visit Malibu. Allow residents to evacuate,” Caltrans tweeted.
With all Malibu residents being told to leave, and the 101 Freeway closed, traffic on the PCH was completely jammed for miles and miles, and moving at a crawl.
“#CaltransDist7 workers are responding to emergency closures along U.S. 101 and #PCH as #WoolseyFire and #Hillfire takes a drastic toll on Ventura and Los Angeles counties,” the agency tweeted.
The following road closures are in effect:
- Southbound Highway 101 is closed between Wendy Drive and Westlake Boulevard to the L.A. / Ventura county line
- South and East Kanan Road
- Westlake Boulevard at Kanan Road
- Marview Drive at Erbes Road
- Bell Canyon Road at Valley Circle Boulevard
- Borchard at Los Vientos Drive
- Lynn Road at Reino Road
- Potrero Road between Rancho Dos Vientos and South Lewis Road
- Kanan Road between Westlake Boulevard and Lindero Canyon.
- Westlake Boulevard at Avineda De Los Arboles
- Marview Drive at Erbes Road
Highway 118 is open in both directions in Simi Valley, but Caltrans noted it was moving a lot slower than usual in that area as motorists use it as an alternate to the 101.
The Woolsey Fire has scorched 35,000 acres and remained 0 percent contained as of Friday evening. The Hill Fire, burning in Ventura County, is holding at approximately 6,100 acres and firefighters are making good progress.
