Wind helped a fire jump the freeway in the North County and forced bi-directional closure of Interstate 5 at peak commute time.
The Orange County Fire Authority responded to a fire near the San Mateo campground near San Onofre State Beach at around 6 p.m. The CHP said that fire was started by a sparking transformer.
The fire was contained to about an acre, but wind picked up embers and blew them across I-5 which started a second fire on Camp Pendleton near Cristianos Road.
The second fire was contained to about a half-acre and its spread was stopped at around 6:40 p.m., according to the OCFA.
At one point both directions of I-5 were shut down turning the freeway into a parking lot.
"It reminds me of the 405 Freeway. It's like a parking lot," driver Bo Santos said. Santos eventually pulled over to the shoulder and waited for traffic to move again. The delay caused him to miss bible study.
Caltrans said traffic was reopened in both directions at around 8:30 p.m.
Local
No damage or injuries were reported.
No other information was available.
Check back for updates on this developing story.
