LOS ANGELES (AP) - Firefighters are battling a brush fire north of Los Angeles that has shut down both sides of Interstate 210.
The Fire Department says high heat and shifting winds helped the fire surge to 2,000 acres on Friday.
Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart says the fire is burning on both sides of the 210. The closure of a 12-mile stretch is expected to last all night, which will cause serious traffic trouble heading into a holiday weekend.
Subdivisions full of houses are within a mile of the flames. Officials say about 200 people have voluntarily evacuated.
No structures have burned.
Huge flames are burning on hilltops and smoke is visible for miles around. Smoke is looming and over an Ikea store and crowded shopping centers in nearby Burbank, and is very visible from Griffith Park.
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