Updated: North Fire 5 Percent Contained, 3,500-plus Acres Burned

Updated at 8:30 p.m.

In the midst of the busy Friday afternoon traffic to Las Vegas, a fast-moving fire torched 20 cars, damaged 10 others, burned four homes and 3,500 acres in the Cajon Pass, according to a Forest Service official.

The fire, for a time, closed both sides of Interstate 15, the main artery to Las Vegas from Southern California. As of 8:30 p.m. southbound 15 remained closed but the northbound lanes have been reopened, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Gerrelaine Alcordo said.

The damage, however, has been done and traffic were backed up for miles, she said.

As 8:30 p.m., the conflagration is 5 percent contained, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Baldy Mesa residents are under mandatory evacuation order. Serrano High School in Phelan has been set up as an evacuation center. Animals can be evacuated to Victor Valley Fairgrounds in Victorville.

Early reports indicated that five people were injured in the fire, that, however, was not confirmed.

The fire was reported at 2:30 p.m. and by 3 p.m. the blaze had spread to 50 acres. By around 4:20 p.m., 500 acres had burned. By around 5:30 p.m., it had spread to around 2,000 acres.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The California Highway Patrol does not know when the freeway will reopen as cleanup is still in progress.

Smoke can be seen in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties

Sam Atwood of the South Coast Air Quality Management District told City News Service the agency is ”keeping a close watch’’ on the blaze and the smoke plume.

“At the current time, the winds are from the south and the smoke is lofting up ... as well as being carried to the north, which means away from the (Los Angeles) metropolitan area,’’ he said.

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Updated at 7:15 p.m.

Twenty cars were destroyed and five homes burned as North Fire spread in the Cajon Pass along Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County.

As a brush fire spread to vehicles trapped along I-15, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said Friday he had never seen a situation quite as dramatic as the that unfolded on the main roadway connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“Certainly we are looking at this and trying to figure out how we would handle something like this in our own jurisdiction,” Humphrey said.

He said in most cases, the safest place to be when a brush fire nears a freeway is inside a vehicle, but each case is different and sometimes abandoning a vehicle and seeking safety is the only choice.

It’s the same decision firefighters face when flames approach them, he said.

When situations like the one in Cajon Pass erupt, cooperation between firefighters and the California Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies is crucial to keeping people safe, Humphrey said.

Humphrey noted that motorists and residents may chafe at road closures when fires erupt, but officials prefer to err on the side of caution.

Staying informed through emergency alerts and news reports is also essential for anyone in the area of fast-moving brush fires, Humphrey said.

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Updated at 6 p.m.

The North Fire has scorched some 3,500 acres of brush, burned a number of vehicles, burned five homes and is threatening other houses, San Bernardino fire officials reported.

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Updated at 5:50 p.m.

Riverside County fire personnel were called to action Friday in neighboring San Bernardino County, where a 2,000-acre brush fire sliced through Interstate 15, engulfing multiple vehicles and leaving hundreds of motorists stranded.

According to a fire department spokeswoman, county crews received a “mutual aid’’ call as the North Fire in Hesperia tore across scrub brush and rapidly expanded through the Oro Grande Wash.

The number of engines and truck companies sent to assist with battling the blaze could not immediately be confirmed. The fire broke out about 2:30 p.m. along northbound I-15 at Oak Hill Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Southwest winds drove the flames over the freeway, igniting at least a half-dozen vehicles, including a big rig, which was destroyed, according to images captured by local media.

The number of injuries was not immediately known.

The CHP shut down the 15 between state Route 138 on the south and Ranchero Road on the north.

Evacuation orders were in effect for residents of Baldy Mesa, whose homes lie east of Sheep Creek and west of state Route 395 and the 15, as well as some properties south of Phelan Road, according to the San Bernardino County
Fire Department.

Witnesses reported that an item tossed from a vehicle, possibly a cigarette, may have ignited the blaze, according to the CHP.

Caltrans cameras in Norco indicated that traffic heading north out of Riverside County was moving at a slow but steady pace, with no major backups.

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Updated at 5:40 p.m.

As a brush fire spread to vehicles trapped along Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said today he had never seen a situation quite as dramatic as the one unfolding on the main roadway connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

“Certainly we are looking at this and trying to figure out how we would handle something like this in our own jurisdiction,” said city fire department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

Heavy smoke generated by the massive North Fire burning in San Bernardino County was blowing to the north, away from the Los Angeles area, but local air quality officials were keeping close watch on the blaze, authorities said Friday.

The fire burning in the Cajon Pass has scorched more than 2,000 acres, and torched a series of vehicles that were stopped on Interstate 5.

Fire officials asked that civilians refrain from sending drones up.

• Drones Grounding Firefighting Aircraft in California

Chilling pictures from the scene showed people wandering on the shoulder of the freeway, which was turned into a parking lot near state Route 138, as fire skipped from car to car and even to a big rig and car-hauling truck. The massive plume of smoke, however, was generally blowing away from Los Angeles County.

Sam Atwood of the South Coast Air Quality Management District told City News Service the agency is ``keeping a close watch’’ on the blaze and the smoke plume.

“At the current time, the winds are from the south and the smoke is lofting up ... as well as being carried to the north, which means away from the (Los Angeles) metropolitan area,’’ he said.

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A fast moving fire near Interstate 15 has burned a number of vehicles Friday, also reportedly burning some people.

It was unclear if those burned were motorists.

The North Fire started at about 2:33 p.m. on Friday July 17 near Interstate 15 north of Highway 138. It is was about 2000 acres in size.

There are mandatory evacuations in Baldy Mesa for the following area:

• East of Sheep Creek Road North of Hwy 138
• West of I-15/Hwy 395
• South of Phelan Road

The Evacuation Center is Serrano High School -- 9292 Sheep Creek Rd. Phelan.

Both northbound and southbound Interstate 15 are closed. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible.

Fire is in unified command with San Bernardino County Fire, CALFIRE, and San Bernardino County Sheriff, according to the fire Incident Information System.

A fast-moving fire was spreading along southbound Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass Friday, engulfing vehicles as it quickly gobbled up brush, according to KTLA San Diego.Photos: Twitter pics posted by @sbcountyfire

Patch Editor Mirna Alfonso contributed to this report. Map courtesy of Google via U.S. Forest Service,