Update Sun. June 5, 10:11 a.m.: Containment increases
The fire grew overnight from 70 to 139 acres but is now 30 percent contained. No structures have been threatened. One firefighter sustained a non life threatening injury and was transported to an area hospital. The number 4 lane on southbound I-15 remains closed and could be closed through Monday. Check the CHP website for the latest updates.
Update Sat. June 4, 4:26 p.m.: Lanes reopened
The number 1 and 2 lanes on the southbound I-15 and the number 4 lane on the northbound I-15 have been reopened, Michelle Profant, a public information officer with CalTrans tells KPCC. Crews are still moving fire equipment off the roadway.
Update Sat. June 5, 4:09 p.m.: Freeway gridlocked as fire burns along I-15
Riverside County Firefighters are on the scene of a fast-burning brush fire near the southbound 15 Freeway in Temecula.
The fire ignited some time on Saturday morning and was reported south of Temecula Parkway about 11:40 a.m., Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jennifer Fuhrman tells KPCC.
Fuhrman says about 200 personnel are on the ground and two helicopters are in the air fighting the blaze.
Fuhrman also says traffic on the 15 Freeway is gridlocked. That's probably because the southbound I-15 is closed as is the northbound number 4 lane, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Check CHP's site for the latest details on road closures.
Twitter user @Andrew_Durso, who was in stopped traffic about a mile from the Rainbow Valley Blvd. exit, posted this video of a helicopter dropping either water or fire retardant on the flames while another helicopter waits on an empty stretch of highway.
On Friday, crews had mostly contained the Pala Fire, which burned 70 acres south of Temecula in San Diego County near the Riverside County line, reports NBC San Diego.
