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Motorists planning to take Interstate 5 in Siskiyou County are questioning if the lava fireplace makes it protected to make use of the freeway.
A commenter on the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Workplace Fb web page mentioned she was planning to take I-5 late Tuesday or Wednesday morning and puzzled about driving circumstances.
Tuesday morning reply is sure, it is okay to take I-5. “Cameras appear to be not less than thick smoke,” wrote the girl.
Forest Service officers mentioned Tuesday that Interstate 5 west and southwest of Weed continues to be a “worrying space” as a result of lava burn, however the California Division of Transportation says the freeway will likely be protected to drive in Siskiyou County from Tuesday morning.
“The lava fireplace is just not removed from I-5, however at this level we weren’t notified of any risk to site visitors on I-5,” mentioned Haleigh Pike, Caltrans Public Data Officer, Tuesday morning.
The hearth burned about 3.5 miles northeast of weed and motorists can see the smoke rising.
“We weren’t notified of any closings or precautions on I-5 on the time,” she mentioned.
The scenario is totally different on Freeway 97, the place a 48 km stretch between the city of Weed and the Juniper Lodge is closed. The hearth has crossed Freeway 97 and Caltrans crews are manning roadblocks.
Firefighters introduced on Tuesday that the railway line within the area was nonetheless threatened.
“Any time we see a fireplace like this go loopy on Monday, it turns into worrying for individuals in all areas,” Pike mentioned.
“We’re monitoring the scenario and after we get information from our crews within the discipline or the Forest Service and Cal Hearth, we are going to notify individuals on our social media accounts.”
Mike Chapman is an award-winning reporter and photographer for Report Searchlight primarily based in Redding, California. His newspaper profession consists of Yreka and Eureka in Northern California and Bellingham, Washington. Assist native journalism by signing up at this time.
