As Fast-Moving Wildfire Near Truckee Burns 640 Acres, I-80 Remains Closed

A rapidly spreading wildfire near Truckee that shuttered a span of Interstate-80 and prompted swift evacuation warnings has expanded to 640 acres. The Floriston Fire in Nevada County, in California, broke out just after 10 a.m. Wednesday and exploded to nearly 300 acres within hours, spreading at a “dangerous rate” without containment, Cal Fire said. The vegetation fire sparked on the hillside near the Floriston exit of I-80, closing the road’s westbound lanes near the Nevada state line and prompting evacuation warnings in three zones near Truckee. Cal Fire said the fast-moving blaze nine miles west of the town is threatening the thoroughfare, along with the Truckee watershed and nearby natural resources. “Although it’s late in the season and the temperatures have dropped significantly, we’re still really dry,” said Chris Vestal, a spokesperson for CalFire.

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Scoop News DeskTruckee · Published Thursday, September 17, 2026 at 6:33 PM UTCUpdated Friday, September 18, 2026 at 2:24 AM UTC

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Fuel moisture in the area is at a historic low after an abnormally dry winter and there’s zero precipitation in the long-range forecast, Vestal said. “We didn’t have a huge winter last year, so some of the larger diameter stuff did not have the opportunity to absorb the moisture that it would have in a more productive winter.” This is the sixth fire reported in Nevada County this summer, according to CalFire’s archive .