Delta Fire cuts down U.S. West Coast's main north-south freeway

The Delta Fire burning in north California would cut down Interstate 5, the West Coast's main north-south thoroughfare, at least through Sunday, while threatened several communities nearby, the U.S. Forest Service said Saturday morning.

According to the latest interactive map updated by the U.S. Forest Service, which is leading the efforts to battle fire, the aggressive blaze has grown to nearly 37,000 acres (149.7 square kilometers) after forcing the closure of a nearly 85-kilometer stretch of I-5 since from it was reported on Wednesday.

There is zero containment of the fire, the U.S. Forest Service said, they don't expect to have containment of the fire until at least Sept. 22.

Moreover, heat imagery tracked by satellite showed Saturday that the eastern flank of the Delta Fire is burning at the edge of the Hirz Fire's containment lines, which has scorched 46,150 acres (186.7 square kilometers) since Aug. 9 and 89 percent containment so far.

Flames are on both sides of Interstate 5, forcing the main freeway that traverses the entire West Coast from Mexico to Canada to be closed, the authority said, officials on Sunday will reevaluate whether to reopen the highway.

Denise Yergenson, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation, was quoted by the Sacramento Bee newspaper as saying that lots of guard rails, signs and pavement need to be fixed since the fire destroyed thousands of trees, some of which are 20 meters tall and fall onto the roadway.