I-5 reopens in N. California, 5 days after Delta Fire erupted

SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. (AP) – Officials said Monday Interstate 5 south of the California-Oregon border has reopened, five days a wildfire roaring along both sides of the roadway forced its closure.

California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Denise Yergenson says one lane in each direction of Interstate 5 reopened Monday at 8:30 a.m.

She says no vehicles carrying potential flammable materials will be allowed along a 17-mile stretch between Antlers Bridge in Lakehead and Flume Creek Road south of the city of Dunsmuir. She says that includes vehicles carrying hay, wood chips, lumber, logs.

The highway that traverses the West Coast from Mexico to Canada and serves as a main artery for commerce had been closed since Wednesday, forcing trucks and other traffic on smaller roads that has added 100 miles to their journeys.

In a traffic advisory Monday morning, ODOT said Caltrans reported while the highway was open again to expect single-lane traffic through the Delta Fire area, with delays and congestion.

As of Monday morning, the Delta Fire had burned 47,110 acres and was 5 percent contained by nearly 2,400 firefighting personnel. More information at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6191/.