Fast-Moving Wildfire Near Truckee Closes Span of I-80

A rapidly-spreading wildfire near Truckee shuttered a span of Interstate-80 and prompted swift evacuation warnings Wednesday. The Floriston Fire in Nevada County, in California, broke out just after 10 a.m. 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. Officials quickly predicted that the fire, driven by eastern winds, had “potential” to reach 200 acres.

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