SANTA CLARITA - A brush fire climbed over hillsides near the 14 Freeway north of Los Angeles and spread to about 850 acres Sunday afternoon, forcing freeway closures and evacuations.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at northbound Highway 14 at Placerita Canyon around 12:45 p.m. A traffic crash caused a tree to catch fire and flames spread rapidly across the canyon area, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The fire, dubbed the Placerita Fire, destroyed a structure in Disney Ranch and damaged a bridge and another structure, the department said. One firefighter suffered minor injuries, KNBC reported.

The LA County Sheriff's Department issued a mandatory evacuation at roughly 3:10 p.m. for Disney Ranch, Tenderfoot Trail Road, Running Horse Road and Placerita Canyon.

An air tanker converted for firefighting duty was part of the aerial attack on the brush fire.

CAL FIRE reported more than 1,870 fires in California from Jan. 1 through June 18. Those fires scorched more than 19,300 acres. During that same period last year, CAL FIRE reported 1,548 fires that burned 8,684 acres.

A report released June 1 provided a wildfire outlook for the hot, dry summer months in California. The National Interagency Fire Center report said wildfire risk will be high in inland Southern California in July and in parts of Northern California during August and September. The report noted what could be a delayed start to the wildfire season in some locations.

Story Date: June 27, 2017