Penrose Fire briefly closes freeway in Sun Valley

Penrose Fire burns in Sylmar

The Penrose Fire started on the side of the 5 Freeway and expanded to a building, throwing massive flames and plumes of smoke into the sky.

LOS ANGELES - A vegetation fire broke out next to the 5 Freeway in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles Saturday night.

Reports of the fire came in shortly after 7:30 p.m. The fire burned along the side of the freeway before expanding to burn a metal-clad commercial building, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. LAFD said the blaze, now called the Penrose Fire, is being driven by Santa Ana winds that are sweeping through Southern California this weekend.

Images from SkyFox showed massive plumes of smoke billowing over the freeway while authorities fought the blaze.

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A SigAlert was issued around 8:15 p.m., closing all northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway from Sunland Boulevard to the Hollywood Freeway for at least 30 minutes, by 8:30 LAFD had requested CHP close both sides of the freeway while crews worked on the blaze.

By 9 p.m., LAFD reported that more than 150 firefighters were working to put out the blaze between LAFD, Burbank Fire Department and Glendale Fire Department.