A wildfire has prompted mass evacuations north of Redding in Shasta County on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
The wildfire, called the Salt Fire, is burning off Gilman Road and Coal Creek Road, north of Shasta Lake City in Shasta County, east of Interstate 5 near the Salt Creek Exit, officials said.
As of Thursday morning, the I-5 has been reopened after closing Wednesday night due to the fire, according to the Caltrans District 2 Twitter page.
At least 1,000 acres were charred as of 9 p.m. on Wednesday, according to InciWeb, an interagency incident information management system.
Recent high temperatures and windy conditions enabled the fire to grow rapidly.
Helitankers and very large tankers dropped water on the blaze. Firefighters with multiple local, state and federal agencies have been battling the blaze Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
Another firefighter hand crew is expected to take command over the fire on Thursday evening.
The cause of the Salt Fire, located just 10 or 15 miles south of the Lava Fire is still unknown.
Evacuations were ordered on Zola Drive, Cordes Court, Solus Campground Road, Tom Head and Old Mill Road, Shasta County sheriff’s officials said.
An evacuation center has been set up at Central Valley High School in Shasta County.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
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