Southbound 15 Freeway Partially Reopens After Brush Fire Shutdown

VALLEY CENTER, CA — A brush fire burned seven acres northwest of Escondido Saturday, shutting down the southbound Interstate 15 freeway and backing traffic up for miles, according to multiple North County fire agencies.

The fire started around 11:30 a.m. near I-15 and Deer Springs Road, the California Highway Patrol reported.

A SigAlert was issued and all southbound lanes were closed. As of 2:51 p.m., the #1 and #2 lanes were reopened, but traffic was backed up to Temecula. Just before 8 p.m., only the #4 lane was closed. Crews remained on the scene into the night, and traffic remained slow near the incident.

At 1:44 p.m., Cal Fire reported the fire had grown to 7 acres and crews were expecting to stay on the scene well into the evening.

"Air Attack 504 advising the fire is holding at 25 acres, with air tankers released and ground sources released, transitioning to patrol status this evening. One copter continues to assist ground crews with hot spots," Southern California Air Operations tweeted at around 2:30 p.m. Cal Fire later revised the total acreage burned to 7 acres.

All lanes of southbound I-15 south of Gopher Canyon Road were closed at 1:23 p.m., said Caltrans San Diego. Traffic was being diverted off the freeway at Gopher Canyon Road.

There was no immediate threat to structures, according to the San Marcos Fire Department.

Winds in the area were gusting at around 15 mph, the National Weather Service said.