If you're viewing on the ABC10 App, tap here for multimedia.
Update 9 p.m.:
The Delta Fire in Shasta County continues to grow out of control.
Latest numbers from the Shasta-Trinity National Forest show the fire has now burned approximately 22,000 acres of land and is still 0 percent contained.
The fire, which started on August 5, caused the complete shutdown of Interstate 5, with still no estimated time for reopening.
Several structures are under threat, but so far nothing has been damaged or destroyed. And there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities associated with the fire.
The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office has issued a mandatory evacuation notice for residents of East Fork Road to Ramshorn Road east to Shasta-Trinity County line, as well as road closures for non-residents at East Side and East Fork Road.
An evacuation shelter is set up at Mount Shasta Community Center, 629 Alder Street, Mount Shasta.
Update: 5 p.m.
Authorities say 45 miles (72 kilometers) of a major north-south trucking corridor in Northern California will remain closed until at least Friday morning.
The California Highway Patrol said Thursday the closure of Interstate 5 in Shasta County has significantly snarled traffic. The agency warns motorists and truckers to avoid the region if possible.
CHP officer Jason Morton said the only alternate route around the closure is taking motorists up to eight hours to navigate. Morton said the 140-mile detour on Highway 299 to Route 89 has been bumper-to-bumper the entire route.
He said the winding, mountain roads funnel to one lane each way at many points, and traffic often slows to 1 mph.
Morton said officials will reassess the safety of reopening Interstate 5 on Friday morning.
Update: 1:30 p.m.
Happening now: A portion of Interstate 5 is closed near Redding for the Delta Fire. According to Caltrans District 2, I-5 Northbound is closed at Fawndale Road. I-5 Southbound is closed at Mott Road. No estimated timetable of when all lanes will open.
East Fork Road is also now under a mandatory evacuation order. Areas east of Trinity River from Trinity Lake to Ramshorn Road are under advisory evacuation notice.
Northbound Detour: Northbound Detour: SR-299;SR-88
Southbound Detour: SR-89; SR-299
Residents ask if you're traveling in the area, you take it slow on the detour routes.
Original story
A volatile wildfire less than 10 miles from the long-burning Hirz Fire north of Redding jumped the freeway, destroyed abandoned trucks and forced evacuations all the way to the Siskiyou County border as it ballooned to 15,294 acres Thursday morning.
"There's vehicles scattered all over," Brandon Vaccaro, a public information officer for the Delta Fire said Wednesday. "Whatever occurred here was probably pretty ugly for a while."
The fire was reported at 12:51 p.m. near the Vollmers exit of Interstate 5 just north of Lakehead. Officials said the fire was caused by humans, but they didn't say how someone started it. It had no containment Wednesday evening.
Authorities planned to keep I-5 closed throughout the night.
The blaze comes as the area is already grappling with the destruction and trauma from the devastating Carr Fire, which burned over 1,000 homes and led to the deaths of eight people this summer.
Damage tallies for the newest fire weren't available yet Wednesday night, but California Highway Patrol Sgt. Tim Hinkson said at least several trucks had burned.
At least two people appear to have lost homes in the fire. Their families set up accounts for them on the crowdfunding site, GoFundMe.
"My dad could barely get out fast enough (sic) all he got out with was a roll of tp (sic) a gallon of water and food for his dog. This man has been through Hell (sic) and back," the story on one of the funds said.
Others said over the scanner that the freeway was "littered with abandoned trucks" and that one of the burnt trucks was carrying timber.
"It's just going to be a mess out there on I-5," Hinkson said in a Facebook Live video from near the fire.
Shasta-Trinity National Forest spokeswoman Carol Underhill said she wasn't sure how people apparently escaped the abandoned trucks, but she said crews had been going through and trying to help drivers. Underhill also said she wasn't aware of any injuries, though the CHP said one man was hurt when he fell off his truck while trying to put out the fire in its early stages.
"That is our main focus on this, is firefighter and public safety," Underhill said.
Evacuations
Officials initially ordered evacuations for everyone adjacent to I-5 north of Lakehead all the way to the Siskiyou County border as the fire grew from 50 to 500 acres Wednesday afternoon. They later revised the affected streets to those along I-5 from Exit 707 to Exit 714.
Underhill didn't know how many homes were evacuated, since she said it's a rural area with scattered residences.
For those who did leave, an evacuation center is open at the Mount Shasta Community Building, 629 Alder Street.
For the city of Dunsmuir, it's just an evacuation warning, which means residents don't have to leave yet — but should be ready to, just in case.
Siskiyou County Sheriff Jon Lopey said the fire seems to have slowed, but since it's burning about 15 miles from the city, residents of Dunsmuir should make sure their cars are ready and their belongings are in place.
He recommended making sure you have a full tank of gas, securing valuables and packing medications, important papers and heirlooms. People should also make arrangements for their pets to be safe, he said.
PHOTOS: Delta Fire
The fire also was disrupting train routes in the area and local schools, at least one of which evacuated.
Castle Rock Elementary School evacuated six staffers and 18 students and is closed Thursday, while Dunsmuir High School is starting late, but officials said they haven't decided when.
Meanwhile, Amtrak's Coast Starlight service is temporarily delayed from Sacramento to Klamath Falls, Oregon because of the fire, a spokeswoman said.
Amtrak's Beth K. Toll said in an email that there aren't any alternate routes through the area currently available.
Other businesses in the affected area carried on, though.
Road closures and traffic jams
Earlier, traffic was also backing up as major roads closed in the area of the fire — namely, northbound I-5 at the Fawndale exit and southbound I-5 at the intersection of Highway 89.
There's no estimated time for the freeway to open again.
Hauling out the wrecked vehicles will add to the time it takes for I-5 to open back up, Hinkson said.
"It's just too dangerous to let cars go through there," he said.
READ MORE: Delta Fire: Latest maps and road closures
Officials later reported a new closure on Interstate 5 at Riverview Drive in the Lakehead area.
At one point, a second fire broke out on a right shoulder of the road near the Delta Fire, but it wasn't clear whether it was related.
Underhill said the same interagency team handling the Hirz Fire is taking over the firefight.
"They're the best of the best," she said. "They handle the most complex incidents."
Vaccaro said people can call 530-498-0953 for fire information or email deltafireshf@gmail.com.
In Siskiyou County, people with special needs, mobility issues or no transportation should call the sheriff's office at 530-841-2900.
Here is a map of where the Delta Fire is located from CAL FIRE. Also in the photo, the large red blob to the right is the location of the still-burning Hirz Fire.
Here is a look at traffic in the area from Waze: