I-5 stretch near Oregon-california border reopens

SHASTA-TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — A major interstate that connects California and Oregon reopened Monday after a wildfire roared along the roadway and forced a six-day closure.

One lane in each direction of Interstate 5 near the Oregon border was reopened with restrictions and warnings of slow traffic, California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Denise Yergenson said.

Vehicles carrying flammable materials will not be allowed along the 17-mile stretch in the Shasta-trinity National Forest.

The stretch of a highway that traverses the West Coast from Mexico to Canada and serves as a main artery for commerce had been closed since Wednesday, when a wall of flames descended from hills along the highway and forced motorists to abandon trucks and cars.

The blaze has chewed through 64 square miles of timber and brush. It was 5 percent contained Monday. The blaze was human-caused, officials said, without indicating whether it was arson or an accident.

The highway closure forced trucks and other traffic to take smaller, winding roads that added 100 miles and as long as eight hours to trips in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

It is the latest of several major fires that have ravaged the area this summer.

In Napa County, California fire officials lifted all mandatory orders for a blaze that ignited over the weekend and had threatened 180 homes.

The 4-square-mile blaze began Saturday in the Napa County woodlands, but cooling weather helped fire crews slow its growth. The fire is 30 percent contained.