Brush fire in Gorman shuts down Highway 138, spawns 'smokenado'

GORMAN, Calif. (KABC) -- A brush fire erupted Wednesday afternoon near Highway 138 in Gorman and quickly spread to more than 100 acres and even generated what appeared to be a "smokenado."

More than 200 firefighters battled the blaze, which was reported just after 4 p.m. along the 43800 block of Lancaster Road, near Quail Lake, according to authorities.

The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station announced the blaze prompted a part of Highway 138 to shut down.

Water drops extinguished much of the flames, but large plumes of smoke billowed over the area. AIR7 HD captured a whirlwind of smoke rising from the fire, creating a "smokenado."

The so-called Sam Fire grew to 148 acres and containment reached 60% by Wednesday night. The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported no structures are currently threatened by the flames.

Crews will remain on scene throughout the night to extinguish hot spots.

It's unknown what sparked the blaze.