Governor declares the state of emergency as a fire that has shut down the Interstate 5 top 5000 acres

A rapid fire in Siskiyou County that closed Yreka Interstate 5 in Ashland, Oregon, and forced evacuations on Thursday afternoon reached 5,000 acres, prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare the state of emergency.

The Klamathon fire destroyed several structures and threatens Hornbrook more, Cal Fire said. About 250 people live in the unincorporated city, 15 miles north of Yreka. According to the Mail Tribune of Medford, Oregon, the fire began around noon southeast of the city and exploded by 1,000 acres around 5 pm

. An evacuation order is in effect for Hornbrook off Klamathon Road and Copco Road. north to Ager, Hornbrook, Hilt and Colestein Valley in Oregon, said the agency.

An evacuation shelter was set up at Jackson Street School in Yreka, said Cal Fire, and a large animal shelter was set up at the Siskiyou County Fairground. On the other side of the border, representatives of the Red Cross have set up a shelter at Ashland High School.

Photos on social media, retweeted by Caltrans and other agencies, showed flames along Interstate 5 at several locations. the highway one mile north of Hornbrook.

State resources, including employees, supplies and facilities, will be spent on fighting the fire, according to the governor's announcement. The California Office of Emergency Services will badist Siskiyou County officials as needed. Already, according to a retweet by CalOES two officials from the Los Angeles Fire Department were sent to help map the fire zone

The statement cited the circumstances of the Fire – including high heat, wind and lack of moisture – to be "beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any local government and require the combined forces of mutual aid or regions to fight. "

He "destroyed structures and continues to threaten homes and livestock" and continues to threaten "critical infrastructure" of Interstate 5, the largest north-south transportation artery of the west coast

. According to a tweet from the California Office of Emergency Services, efforts have been made to help with firefighting and rescue. According to FEMA, grant application is met when a "major disaster threat" exists

The California Highway Patrol halted all traffic heading north at the North Yreka exit while that the Oregon Department of Transportation has stopped all traffic from entering California from South Ashland, Caltrans tweeted. According to the agency, the time of the reopening of the highway is estimated, and teams were unable to access the damaged portions of the road Thursday night.

Travelers heading north take Route 97 near Weed to Route 140 from Oregon to Klamath. According to spokesman Gary Leaming, at the Mail Tribune, ODOT has also closed the old Highway 99, which leaves from the southern Emigrant Lake area, and which is located north of Route 58 of the # 39; Oregon. to stem the flow of traffic trying to get around the closure.