Cajon Pass fire under control after 2 days

The Cajon Pass fire, which erupted Friday along Interstate 15, is now 80 percent contained. The blaze is expected to be completely contained by 6 p.m. Monday, fire officials say.

The blaze erupted just south of Oak Hills Friday, burning 1,150 acres and snarling traffic near the Cajon Pass. Both lanes of the interstate have since been reopened, though that could change as the firefighting effort continues and winds shift, according to a Caltrans spokesperson.

Mandatory evacuation orders for the areas surrounding the fire were lifted at 2 p.m. Saturday and residents with proof of residency were able to return home, according to fire officials.

Updated Saturday, Sept 3, 10:35 a.m. | Permalink

Beatriz Valenzuela, a reporter for the Victorville Daily Press, went to survey one of the two homes destroyed in the fire on Friday. She said one property was completely lost.

"The main structure on the property, which is 3-5 acres long, is completely burned to the ground," she said, adding that its sole resident escaped unharmed.

The home contained a number of animals, including dogs, goats, emus and a bull, most of which died in the blaze. Animal control was on the scene trying to rescue a goat and bull.

Valenzuela added that winds seem to be better than they were Friday, and the sky less hazy.

"You do see these big plumes of black smoke," she said. "All the sudden they turn white when [firefighters] pour water on [the flames]."

Updated at 9:42 a.m. | Permalink

Caltrans spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said road crews were making progress in restoring sections of Interstate that were damaged by Friday's flames.

"We're still moving along out there," she said. "We still have the number 1 lane closed in both directions." The rest of the lanes remain open.

On the southbound side, contractors were replacing guard rails that were burned Friday by the blaze. Winds were helping to lay down plumes of smoke and increase visibility.

Kasinga said Caltrans hopes to have I-15 operating at its full capacity by Sunday night.

Live traffic map

Updated at 9:18 a.m. | Permalink

Firefighters are hoping to make progress Saturday morning, before winds kick up in the afternoon.

"The plan of attack is to continue the line of defense and containment and to manage hotspots," in the area of the fire, Beatriz Valenzuela of the Victorville Daily Press told KPCC. "I can see the brown haze of the smoke," she said. "But it's nothing like it was yesterday."

Firefighters say they hope to have the blaze fully contained by Sunday night.

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The fire has consumed 1,100 acres so far. Evacuation orders have been lifted for roughly half of the 1500 homes threatened by the fire. The orders remain in effect for homes in the Oak Hills area, which are still in danger, authorities said.

State fire spokesman Glenn Barley said two firefighters were injured and two additional structures were damaged. Around 750 firefighters and 12 aircraft continue to battle the blaze.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Updated at Friday, Sept. 2, 9:00 p.m. | Permalink

A fast-moving wildfire on Southern California national forest land shut down Interstate 15 at the Cajon Pass Friday afternoon, scuttling Las Vegas travel plans and forcing evacuations for the nearby community of Oak Hills. Though most lanes were closed for a chunk of the afternoon afternoon, and Caltrans had said the southbound lanes would be closed all night, Caltrans reported Friday evening that all but one lane in each direction would reopen at 7 p.m.

By nightfall, 1,100 acres had been burned, and the fire was 20 percent contained. Firefighters expected the fire to burn through Saturday.

The blaze was located roughly 5 miles south of the outskirts of Hesperia, and at least one home has burned, though it may have been an abandoned structure. About 1,500 homes have been evacuated with more evacuations expected. Josh Wilkins, a captain with the San Bernardino Fire Department, said more homes were being threatened, "although we do have folks in place to protect those structures so we don't anticipate any more loss."

U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller said it began around 1 p.m. Friday along the northbound lanes of the major route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, swept across the southbound lanes and into San Bernardino National Forest land.

In little more than an hour it grew to 250 acres of the high desert northeast of Los Angeles. Another hour later, it was at 500 acres. Then, some reports had the fire at between 800 and 1,000 acres around 5 p.m. Wilkins told KPCC he expected the official number to hit 1,000 early Friday night.

The wildfire threatens homes in the Oak Hills area west of I-15 and east of Baldy Mesa Road. It’s unclear how many houses and ranches are in that area. A Victorville man told TV news station KCAL that million-dollar luxury homes lie west of the freeway where flames raced up the hills.

Terri Kasinga of CalTrans told KPCC that drivers should avoid the Cajon Pass for the rest of the evening. The Victorville Daily Press is reporting that the southbound lanes of I-15 around the Cajon Pass are a veritable parking lot. The California Highway Patrol says many side streets are congested as drivers try to exit I-15. Some motorists apparently backed up or drove into oncoming lanes to avoid the smoke.

Firefighters are battling flames by hand and water with dropping aircraft including a DC-10 jumbo jet tanker. At least one firefighter suffered smoke inhalation and was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center.

Check back for updates.