Fort fire in Grapevine near Interstate 5 stopped. Evacuation warnings lifted

The spread of a fire that broke out on the west side of Interstate 5 in the Grapevine has been halted, according to officials.

The Fort fire began just before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in Lebec and had grown to 220 acres before its forward progress was stopped Thursday afternoon. Evacuation warnings have been lifted, officials said.

The fire had complicated the commute for thousands along the Tejon pass as area residents fled the blaze.

“If you’re traveling on I-5 through the area, please slow down, firefighters are working on and near the roadways. Expect delays and drive with caution,” the Kern County Fire Department posted on X, early Thursday morning.

At least one southbound lane of the 5 Freeway was shut down as firefighters worked to contain the fire, according to Fire Capt. Andrew Freeborn.

“Last night was a really hard fire fight for a couple reasons,” Freeborn said Thursday. “This is really steep and it’s nighttime, and when you’re trying to hike up those conditions, it’s really daunting. There was pretty significant down-canyon winds pushing the fire northward.”

After sunrise, fire crews were able to be more effective and have the help of air supply dropping retardant on the blaze.

“We’ve seen a 180 in this fire behavior,” he said. “Last night, it was growing rapidly. Today, it’s sat down and we’re able to be really aggressive with it.”

Kern County officials had issued an evacuation warning about 1:30 a.m. for Digier Canyon and Lebec-area residents.

Around the time the fire broke out, temperatures were around 84 degrees, with wind gusts up to 16 mph, according to National Weather Service forecaster Emily Wilson.

Humidity levels near the fire were around 45% and gradually increased just before sunrise to 55% around 7 a.m., according to the weather service. It decreased throughout the day to 34% by Thursday afternoon.

Jeremy Ruiz, public information officer for the Fire Department, said wildfires along this region are common.

“This area, especially with the grass and highways passing through, is very common,” he said. “The highways are a big cause, whether it’s a cigarette or chains dragging or a vehicle accident, there’s a lot of things that can happen that can cause a fire.”