A swiftly moving brush fire in Southern California forced the closing of all lanes of a crowded freeway, stranded some motorists and spurred others to abandon their vehicles as flames engulfed roughly a dozen cars and trucks.

Live video broadcast by a local CBS affiliate showed firefighters moving between empty vehicles on Interstate 15 in Cajon Pass, Calif., as motorists filed down the shoulder of the freeway in San Bernardino County.

A black pillar of smoke rose into the sky as cars, pickup trucks, a tractor-trailer and a car carrier loaded with empty vehicles burned.

The fire information line, to which the National Forest Service directed media requests, said that the blaze began at 2:33 p.m., and that all lanes of Interstate 15 were closed.

The fire information line, to which the National Forest Service directed media requests, said that the blaze began at 2:33 p.m., and that all lanes of Interstate 15 were closed.

A black pillar of smoke rose into the sky as cars, pickup trucks, a tractor-trailer and a car carrier loaded with empty vehicles burned.