One lane of of the previously shut down Interstate 5 in northern California has been opened in both directions as the still largely uncontained Delta fire continues to burn.
The fire, which officials believe is man-made, began on Wednesday, September 5th, 10 miles north of Redding, California and has since covered over 47,000 acres, ravaging the landscape. As of 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning, the Delta fire was still only 5% contained, reported the Sacramento Bee.
Mandatory evacuations were still in place as of Monday morning and include:
Shasta County along I-5 from exit 707 to exit 714
Trinity County from East Fork Road to Ramshorn Road
As of 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning, 1 lane in each direction of I-5 has been reopened along the 45 mile stretch previously shut down due to threats posed by the encroaching fire, though there are limitations. No vehicles carrying any flammable materials will be allowed along a 17 mile stretch of I-5 between Antlers Bridge in Lakehead and Flume Creek Road south of the city of Dunsmuir. Some currently banned flammable materials include hay, wood chips, lumber, logs, reported News Channel 21.
The assigned detour route, Highway 299, is said to have added around 100 miles and eight extra hours of travel time due its length and traffic congestion.
Officials expect the fire situation to continue to fluctuate between “moderate” and “active.”
Many area school shave been shut down due to smoke and a community meeting about the Delta fire is set for 6:00 p.m on Monday at the Trinity Center Community Hall.
LiveTrucking reader Miguel Angel Valle, who was traveling through California when the fire started, sent in this video of the Delta fire with the following description: “I didn’t record this video my friend Antonio Aguilar did I was 5 hours behind him. We were traveling to Portland, Oregon. He was able to pass I wasn’t — I-5 closed before I made it.”