A fast-moving wildfire burning along Interstate 5 near the Grapevine has grown to more than 3,600 acres, forcing evacuations from Gorman, the Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area and areas near Pyramid Lake.
Interstate 5 was shut down at Quail Lake and Gorman Post Road as of Saturday evening, leaving traffic snarled — with some accidents reportedly caused by drivers who stopped to photograph the flames.
The blaze, dubbed the Post fire, started around 2 p.m. Saturday and quickly grew beyond 500 acres, threatening structures to the south and west of I-5. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews rapidly responded, making aerial assaults with air tankers and water-dropping helicopters in an effort to contain the perimeter.
Firefighters face challenging conditions: The National Weather Service forecasts increasing winds Saturday night, with ridgetop gusts expected to hit 60 mph.
The blaze began as a brush fire south of Ralphs Ranch Road and reportedly jumped the road, burning an auto repair shop. Social media feeds captured an exodus of motor homes, trailing ATVS, from area campgrounds crowded with groups celebrating Father’s Day weekend.
By Saturday evening, thick plumes of smoke wafted over the freeway. With the wildfire burning south toward Pyramid Lake, officials were reporting 0% containment Saturday evening.
The fire erupted as experts work to gauge the potential severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy fuel load of thick grasses, which are drying as temperatures rise. A wind-driven wildfire scorched more than 14,000 acres in San Joaquin County, south of Tracy, earlier this month.
County Fire Department crews are battling the Post fire just a day after one of their colleagues was killed and another injured while responding to a quarry fire in Antelope Valley.
