‘Cavalry has arrived’ — Whatcom firefighters battle brush fire in I-5 median Tuesday
Whatcom County firefighters battled a brush fire burning Tuesday morning in the median of Interstate 5 near Zell Road.
“Cavalry has arrived,” the Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted about the incident, which forced the closure of the left lane of southbound I-5 in the area to allow firefighters to douse the flames.
North Whatcom Fire and Rescue crews were called to the scene at 6:47 a.m., according to the PulsePoint app.
Video tweeted by WSDOT showed vehicles in both directions of I-5 working their way through the area in the right lane.
Within a half hour of the call, traffic cameras in the area showed the flames had been extinguished and fire crews had left, leaving a small patch of charred vegetation stretching between southbound and northbound lanes of I-5.
Though what started Tuesday morning’s fire was not reported, Washington State Patrol Trooper Jacob Kennett reminded drivers that it is illegal to throw any objects out of their vehicle in a tweet hours earlier.
“We are seeing more and more fires across our region. The grass is extremely dry. A lit cigarette thrown from a car can easily create something much larger,” Kennett wrote.
This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 7:25 AM.
