A fire on the east and west sides of Interstate 5 at Templin Highway has grown to 392 acres, as of 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Route Fire, which started around 3 p.m., was 50 acres in size two hours earlier.
There’s 0% containment of the fire as of Saturday evening, according to John Miller, a public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service.
“The east side is looking really, really good, and we’re making very good progress on the west,” he said. “So, it’s looking really good.”
Miller said the fire does not pose an immediate threat to any structures in the area.
“Fortunately, nobody’s been evacuated, and we don’t feel like any of the little ranches, the fire station, scout camp or anything around here is in a dire threat of getting burned over,” he said.
Crews, bulldozers and three helicopters were slated to work to contain the fire overnight. Two of the three helicopters belong to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which is assisting the U.S. Forest Service in fighting the fire.
The California Highway Patrol has halted traffic in both directions on Interstate 5. CHP issued SIG alerts for unknown durations at Vista Del Lago Road going southbound and Templin Highway headed northbound, according to Officer Stephan Brandt.
“It’s better off to avoid the area for a while until we have some kind of update on how long this is going to last,” he said.
Firefighters responded to a 50-acre fire on both sides of Interstate 5 at Templin Highway in Castaic Saturday afternoon.
Matt Klein, acting supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said containment was at 0% as of 5:15 p.m. Saturday.
The U.S. Forest Service is leading the effort to knock down the fire, while the county assists, he said. Officials have not called for evacuations, though Interstate 5 had been closed in both directions.
The southbound Interstate 5 is closed at, while the northbound direction is closed at Templin Highway, according to an advisory issued by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
He said he recommends avoiding traveling to the area as CHP officers are directing vehicles to exit the freeway and turnaround.
This story was updated at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11
