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The Delta fire in northern California, near the Oregon border, burned more than 34 square kilometers of woodland and scrub and resulted in evacuation orders for homes and buildings scattered in three counties. (7 sept)
AP
Yocha Dehe Fire Department firefighters work together to extinguish a grass fire along Interstate 5 at the Earl Sholes Memorial Bridge, near the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California .(Photo: Hung T. Vu, The Record Searchlight)
A section of a key highway in California reopened Monday, six days after the section closed due to a devastating fire that ravaged the northern part of the state.
A lane of Interstate 5 in each direction has reopened for 17 miles, transport officials said, after determining that the road was safe for travel.
Vehicles carrying flammable materials, such as hay, wood chips, lumber and logs, will still not be allowed on the stretch near Lakehead, said spokesman for the Department of Transportation from California, Denise Yergenson.
Interstate 5, which spans nearly 1,400 miles from Mexico to Canada, is one of the busiest arteries in the country. The section was closed Wednesday by state authorities when the flames of the Delta Fire forced the motorists to abandon their vehicles while the fire came from the hills.
The closure forced the circulation of the state's main north-south transportation corridor to smaller roads, often adding hours to commute.
More: Interstate 5 remains "dangerous" for travel as Delta fire rages in northern California
More: As a wall of flames ran toward their car, a couple had to decide: stay or run?
More: More and more scenes of hurricanes, forest fires and volcanoes will make us a smuggler?
On Sunday, state officials expressed concern over the reopening of the highway for fear that the flames will spread around the highway and possibly trap motorists. But Monday, it was decided that the highway could reopen with restrictions.
According to InciWeb, the 47,110-acre fire around the Shasta-Trinity National Forest was limited to 5%. Firefighters asked motorists to drive with caution and said that potential closures were still possible.
Approximately 2,400 personnel are fighting the flames, striving to maintain primary control lines, extinguish fires at close range, and complete burn-out operations in the southeast area of the fire.
The Delta Fire is the latest in a series of wildfires that devastated northern California this summer. It has already burned in the Hirz fire at 46,150 acres east and only a few miles from the area burned by the late Carr, which killed eight people, destroyed more than 1,000 homes and destroyed 360 square miles August 30th. .
Contributor: Associated Press
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