Delta Fire near Redding nearly triples in size to 23 square miles, prompts evacuations

REDDING, Calif. -- Interstate 5 remains closed in Shasta County because of a fast-moving wildfire. The Delta Fire is burning about ten miles north of Redding. So far, the fire has grown to 23 square miles and has zero percent containment. It was 8 square miles on Wednesday.

Officials have issued evacuation orders, but did not immediately say how many people are impacted. The fire is in a rural area with scattered homes.

Thousands of people were stuck after it ignited Wednesday just before 1 p.m. There were abandoned trucks destroyed by the flames as the fire jumped I-5.

"It felt like it was coming to us so some of the guys that were in front of us, I don't know like five or ten trucks in front of us were closer to it, they had to drop their trailers and turn around," said Julio Vega, motorist.

VIDEO: Close encounter with wildfire burning next to I-5 near Redding caught on camera

Witness video gives us just a sense of the fear a Shasta County wildfire is causing as flames surround a highway and shut down Interstate 5 near Redding.

The U.S. Forest Service has launched a full aircraft attack and ground response.

Officials say the cause of the fire was human, but they did not go into specifics.

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Hummer Estes watches a helicopter battling the Hat Fire, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018, in Fall River Mills, Calif.

John Locher/AP Photo