Wind-driven flames that started in vegetation adjacent to the 5 Freeway in Sun Valley spread into a metal-clad building and escalated into a major emergency with a battle on the ground and in the air.
The fire was first reported at 7:39 p.m. in the 11200 block of West Penrose Street, said the Los Angeles Fire Department's Brian Humphrey.
The building was described as a more than 22,000-square-foot commercial structure, Humphrey said.
Some 165 firefighters on the ground and in the air battled the blaze from the fire's perimeter, he said. Neighboring Burbank and Glendale sent units to assist.
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The California Highway Patrol shut down all lanes of the freeway at the Sunland off-ramp.
