Delta Fire 40,903 Acres: I-5 to remain closed

LAKEHEAD, CA., (KIEM)- Interstate 5 will remain closed until further notice, as the Delta Fire rages out of control.

Two hard closures are in place along the highway, Northbound at Riverview Drive, and Southbound at Flume Creek Road. Spot fires have been surfacing along the interstate making it unsafe for travel. Only emergency vehicles, utility company staff, and timber land employees will be allowed through those hard closures. Two soft closures have been established which effect the communities of Lakehead and Dunsmuir (Northbound at Fawndale Road; Southbound at Flume Creek Road).

Shasta-Trinity National Forest lands, roads, and trails around the fire perimeter have been closed. If you plan to visit the forest, contact the nearest ranger district first (Shasta Lake Ranger District at (530) 275-1587 or the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station at (530) 926-4511).

The human caused blaze is also forcing people from their homes. Residents of Shasta county are under mandatory evacuation along the I-5 corridor from exit 707 to exit 714 at Gibson.  The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office has issued a mandatory evacuation notice for residents of East Fork Road to Ramshorn Road east to the Shasta Trinity County line. There is an evacuation advisory only from the East Fork/East Side Road junction west to Highway 3 northward to Ramshorn Road.

The Siskiyou Humane society is currently sheltering evacuated pets and Mercy Oaks in Redding (100 Mercy Oaks Drive) is the main shelter set up for all evacuees. A second shelter is also operating the National Guard Armory, 618 Everitt Memorial Hwy in Mount Shasta, California.