A small grass fire briefly threatened homes on the north side of the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway at Balboa Boulevard Thursday, but crews managed to halt the flames before any structures could be damaged.
The firefight, however, prompted a closure of the freeway in both directions at Balboa, creating a lengthy backup.
According to Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department, firefighters responded to the fire at about 2 p.m. The bulk of the fire burned on the north side of the freeway, where the LAFD established a structure-defense team.
Fire crews quickly halted the spread of the fire north of the freeway, and also subdued a small spot fire on the south side of the highway.
By mid-afternoon, crews were still on scene soaking potential hot spots. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.