Fire in Cajon Pass Slows Traffic on I-15 North of Redlands and Loma Linda

A brush fire broke out Sunday on the east side of Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass and slowed traffic on both sides of the freeway while firefighters and aircraft attacked the blaze.

The fire was reported about 2:45 p.m. Sunday on the east side of Interstate 15 between Kenwood Avenue and Cleghorn Road, a Forest Service dispatcher said.

The California Highway Patrol had one northbound lane closed around 3:45 p.m.

Old Route 66 between Cleghorn and Kenwood remained open and some motorists used the detour to get around creeping traffic in both directions.

The fire scorched an estimated 5 acres in a steep gulch and scores of Forest Service and Department of Corrections crews climbed hillsides with hoses and hand tools to extinguish the fire.

Helicopter and tanker plane pilots assisted crews on the ground. The fire appeared to start next to the northbound freeway and the cause was under investigation.

The CHP was preparing to open the closed northbound lane as of 5:30 p.m.

The fire was north of the estimated 350 acres that burned on both sides of the 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass on Monday Nov. 5.

Follow Redlands-Loma Linda Patch on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for the free daily newsletter here.