**UPDATE** Winds on the #WeeVillFire exceeding 40-50 mph!#LACoFD@LACoFireAirOps pic.twitter.com/KDKodikjLw
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) May 20, 2021
LANCASTER – Firefighters Thursday were contending with strong winds in trying to extinguish a 262-acre brush fire in the Fairmont area west of Lancaster that threatened some structures.
The fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. Thursday, May 20, near state Route 138 and 210th Street West, and quickly grew to 50 acres and then to approximately 300 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The fire department announced at about 3:45 p.m. that forward progress of the fire had been stopped and the updated acreage stood at 262 acres. More than 250 firefighters were assigned to the firefighting effort, which included three fixed-wing aircraft and “multiple” water-dropping helicopters. No injuries were reported.
Arriving firefighters reported winds of up to 50 mph in the area, with a potential for the blaze to spread to 1,000 acres. Structure-protection crews staged in the area as the flames advanced on the Wee Vill Market on West Avenue D, and the blaze has been dubbed the Wee Vill Fire.
A wind advisory was issued near the Golden State (5) Freeway from Lake Hughes Road to state Route 138, according to the California Highway Patrol.
State Route 138 was closed to through traffic at Gorman Post Road as a precaution, the CHP reported.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department announced about 3:45 p.m. that state Route 138 was reopened in both directions.
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