CHILLED ROADS TURN INTO SLICK DRIVING HAZARD ICE FORCES FREEWAY CLOSURE.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - An unexpected freeze early Monday forced the closure of the Golden State Freeway near Castaic, and resulted in numerous crashes on slippery roads in the Gorman area, authorities said.

A Los Angeles County fire crew en route to a collision hit a patch of ``black ice'' on Gorman Post Road and the rig overturned, leaving two firefighters with minor injuries and a fire engine in need of major repairs, Capt. Jeff Horwedel said.

Engine 77 was traveling about 15 mph when the driver encountered an invisible icy patch about a half-mile south of Gorman, Horwedel said. The engine rolled on the driver's side, turned again and came to rest on its passenger side.

A reserve engine was sent to the station as a replacement while the damaged rig was sent for evaluation and repair, he said.

The two injured firefighters were treated for minor injuries at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital and released, the captain said.

The engine was headed to a crash that left an 8-year-old boy with minor injuries, the California Highway Patrol reported.

``We had a number of accidents up here this morning, lots of accidents from ice and snow,'' Horwedel said.

About 6:30 a.m., the Newhall office of the Highway Patrol was asked to close the northbound Golden State Freeway at Templin Highway just north of Castaic. The southbound lanes of the busy freeway were closed north of the Grapevine until the snow and ice were cleared. The road opened to limited traffic about two hours later.

Fire and CHP officials said the icy weather wasn't expected.

In Santa Clarita, winds up to 30 mph made a chilly day feel even colder and temperatures are expected to drop still more today. The National Weather Service forecast highs today in the low to mid-50s with cloudy, breezy and brisk weather continuing.