Brush Fire Shuts Down 405 Freeway In Hawthorne

LOS ANGELES, CA — Firefighters stopped the forward progress of a small brushfire that charred about an acre of grass and shut down the San Diego (405) Freeway in Hawthorne.

The blaze was reported at 3:18 p.m., said Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Melanie Flores.

The California Highway Patrol closed all lanes of the freeway just before 4 p.m. A SigAlert had been issued at 3:34 p.m., and motorists began driving the wrong way down ramps to get off the roadway, away from the fire.

The CHP reopened all northbound lanes at 6:16 p.m. Southbound lanes were also reopened with the exception of the number 3 and 4 lanes, the CHP reported. It was not immediately known when those lanes would reopen.

"Our units remain on the scene to do mop-up and to put out any hot spots that might flare up," Flores said.

No injuries were reported. No structures were threatened.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.