MEDFORD, Ore. — A fire that jumped across Interstate 5 south of the Oregon border in California has closed the southbound lanes in that area, authorities said.
The Oregon Department of Transportation said Thursday evening that the southbound lanes would remain closed at Ashland, Oregon, with no estimated time for reopening.
The agency suggested motorists traveling toward California consider using Oregon 58 or 140 to U.S. 97.
The agency says the fire called Klamathon started Thursday afternoon and has forced evacuations in the small town of Hornbrook, California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday that the blaze had burned nearly 8 square miles (20 square kilometers) with 0 percent containment. Multiple structures are threatened, damaged or destroyed, the department said.
