Updated at 4:58 p.m. July 12, 2017:
Crews working to douse the smoldering remnants of a wildfire that forced evacuations of back-country homes while blackening about 400 acres near Lake Jennings had the burn area roughly 60 contained late this afternoon.
Automobile exhaust from a passing vehicle sparked the fast-moving blaze alongside Interstate 8 near Olde Highway 80 in the Flinn Springs area shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to Crews working to douse the smoldering remnants of a wildfire that forced evacuations of back-country homes while blackening about 400 acres near Lake Jennings had the burn area roughly 60 contained late this afternoon.
Automobile exhaust from a passing vehicle sparked the fast-moving blaze alongside Interstate 8 near Olde Highway 80 in the Flinn Springs area shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to Cal Fire.
As the flames tore over rugged hillsides in a southwesterly direction, authorities closed the freeway between Tavern and Lake Jennings Park roads and directed residents of nearby View Side Lane to vacate the threatened neighborhood.
Ground and airborne crews had the spread of the blaze, dubbed the Jennings Fire, halted within about three hours, allowing for the reopening of the westbound lanes of the interstate in the area.
No structural damage or injuries were reported.
One to three eastbound lanes on I-8 around the site of the fire were out of commission at various times Wednesday morning and afternoon as firefighters continue to douse hot spots and create lines of control around the charred swaths of land.
The interstate was fully open again in the area as of 4:30 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reported..
