The massive Route Fire that erupted around noon Wednesday along Interstate 5 has already burned 5,208 acres and is 12 percent contained, according to a Thursday morning update from the L.A. County Fire Department.
The brush fire near Castiac shut down I-5 north of Los Angeles in both directions Wednesday. By Thursday morning, northbound lanes were reopened.
A video shared by the Southern California Quick Reaction Force shows a helicopter view of the scope of the fire on Wednesday afternoon, when it was mapped at only 162 acres. Land from the highway all the way up the hill is blackened, with a line of flames progressing down the other side.
The fast-growing fire prompted evacuations in the area. It comes amid a heat wave with triple-digit temperatures.
