A fire that broke out in Glendale Friday afternoon snarled traffic after officials had to close a major freeway during rush hour.
The blaze -- which prompted evacuations of homes and a school -- started northeast of the junction of the 2 and 134 freeways.
The city of Glendale warned residents to avoid returning home so the roads can remain clear for fire officials, adding that both Glenoaks and Chevy Chase canyons may remain closed until 8 p.m.
The northbound side of the 2 Freeway reopened while the southbound lanes remained closed, said Sgt. Denise Joslyn of the California Highway Patrol.
Just before 5 p.m., SigAlert.com showed traffic crawling at 11 mph on the eastbound 134 Freeway between the 5 Freeway and 2 Freeway interchanges.
Aerial video showed some drivers trying to escape the traffic by driving on the shoulders and turning around to drive on the opposite lanes. Joslyn asked drivers to be patient and not put other drivers in danger.
The 134 Freeway was open, but CHP urged drivers to find alternate routes home due to heavy delays.
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The Holly Street ramp was temporarily closed just off the 2 Freeway and Harvey Drive was closed off the 134 Freeway for several hours.
