The Ridge Fire near Gorman forced a northbound Interstate 5 closure on Friday and pushed evacuation orders and warnings into effect as the blaze spread across the freeway. What began east of Interstate 5 later jumped to the other side, turning a roadside fire into a fast-moving transportation and public-safety problem.
CalFire said the Ridge Fire had burned 100 acres near Gorman School Road in Gorman by Friday afternoon, and the CHP said northbound Interstate 5 near Smokey Bear Road was closed while traffic was diverted back to southbound. Southbound traffic was also being routed off at Frazier Mountain Park, a sign that the fire was no longer contained to one side of the corridor.
The closure matters because Interstate 5 is the main route through the area, and even a short disruption can force drivers into detours that slow traffic in both directions. The fire was also south of the ongoing Buzzard Fire, adding another layer of wildfire activity around the same stretch of California.
That shift across the freeway is the part that changes the story. CalFire first placed the Ridge Fire east of Interstate 5 near Gorman School Road, but the CHP later reported that it had jumped to the other side, which meant traffic control had to change with it. A fire that crosses a freeway creates a harder containment problem and a wider threat to the corridor than one burning on a single flank.
Genasys Protect showed one evacuation order and three evacuation warnings tied to the Ridge Fire, and the CHP said a SignAlert had been issued for one hour. What remained unclear Friday was how long the closure and evacuation actions would stay in place, but the fire had already done what officials feared: it turned a brush fire near Gorman into a direct hit on the freeway and the people who live beside it.
