A boater returning home from a fishing trip near Mammoth Lakes watched helplessly Saturday as his boat burned on the side of the Highway 14 freeway in Newhall.

Firefighters from Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 73 were called to douse the boat fire on the southbound lanes of the freeway about 3 p.m. just south of Placerita Canyon Road.

Boat owner Lindsay Phillips was returning from his trip to Lake Crowley with two friends when he noticed smoke coming from the 16-foot fishing boat and pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway.

The rear of the boat burst into flames, he said. He unhooked the trailer and moved his pickup truck away from the boat, waiting for firefighters to arrive.

Traffic on the freeway was backed up about two miles to Golden Valley Road while firefighters hosed down the boat.