The Ridge Fire in Gorman forced a complete shutdown of Interstate 5 on Friday, leaving thousands of drivers trapped in traffic for hours and prompting evacuation orders on both sides of the Los Angeles and Kern county line.

The freeway has since reopened, but the fire is still burning and the evacuation zones remain active.

How Fast It Moved

Crews were first alerted to the blaze on W. Gorman Post Road around 2:30 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

What began as an estimated 100-acre fire expanded to 1,057 acres in a matter of hours. The growth was driven by dry brush and terrain that let the flames run downhill toward the freeway.

Aerial footage showed heavy smoke settling across the entire corridor. At one point observers spotted a firenado along the fire line, which ABC7 Meteorologist Dallas Raines estimated stood somewhere between 70 and 100 feet.

These rotating columns form when superheated air rises rapidly off a fire and cooler air rushes in to fill the gap, setting the whole mass spinning. They are dramatic to watch and genuinely dangerous, since they can fling burning material well ahead of the main fire.

The Fight to Hold the Line

Firefighters brought in aircraft to make water drops and lay down retardant lines along the hillsides.

The fire did not cooperate. Flames reached the northbound side of the 5 Freeway, then jumped across the roadway entirely and burned additional acreage on the southern side. Crews stayed positioned along the surrounding slopes afterward, watching for hotspots and preparing to knock down any flare-ups.

A Freeway Closure With Nowhere to Go

Around 5 p.m., the California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert closing all northbound lanes. A second alert followed shortly after, shutting the southbound side as well.

With one of the state’s primary north-south arteries fully blocked, traffic backed up for miles with few practical alternatives in that stretch of the Tejon Pass.

The consequences went beyond inconvenience. Some drivers simply ran out of fuel. Others watched their gauges drop while inching forward in stop-and-go conditions.

Motorist AJ Apple described conditions inside the vehicles, saying they had shut off the air conditioning and rolled the windows down, calling the four-hour wait miserable.

One family heading to Merced ran dry in Gorman. Amber Lucky said they had started with a full tank, which drained during four hours of idling and creeping forward.

Charlie Lucky explained why getting off the freeway proved nearly impossible. Semi-trucks were jammed bumper to bumper, blocking any move toward an exit. By the time they finally cleared the roadway, the car had six miles of range left and the nearest gas station was six miles away. When they arrived, the station had no fuel.

Reopening

Just before 7 p.m., CHP reopened all southbound lanes. The northbound side followed roughly an hour later.

Firefighters continued working the blaze throughout, and the reopening reflected containment along the roadway rather than control of the fire itself.

Evacuations Still in Effect

Los Angeles County issued a mandatory evacuation order for one zone and warnings for two others:

• Evacuation order: GOR-HUNGRYVALLEY-A
• Evacuation warning: GOR-E001-A
• Evacuation warning: GOR-HUNGRYVALLEY-B

Kern County issued its own warning for zone KRN-545, asking residents there to be ready to leave on short notice.

The distinction matters. An order means leave now. A warning means prepare, gather essentials and keep a vehicle fueled and pointed outward.

Where to Go

An evacuation shelter has been opened at the Castaic Sports Complex Gymnasium, located at 31230 N Castaic Rd.

Officials confirmed it operates around the clock and accepts pets, which removes one of the most common reasons people delay evacuating.

Air Quality Concerns

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a Wildfire Smoke Advisory covering areas around Gorman, running through at least Saturday afternoon.

Air quality is expected to reach levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups along the 5 Freeway corridor and extending toward Castaic Lake. That category includes children, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart conditions.

Standard guidance during a smoke advisory includes staying indoors when possible, keeping windows closed, running air conditioning on recirculate, and postponing outdoor exercise.

What to Watch For

The fire remains active, and conditions in this part of California can shift quickly with afternoon winds through the pass.

Residents in warning zones should treat the situation as fluid rather than resolved, and drivers planning to use the 5 through Gorman should check conditions before departing. The freeway reopened once, but a fire still burning near the corridor means that status is not guaranteed.