Storm closes part of southbound I-15 at California’s Cajon Pass; fire engine falls off highway

A five-lane, 3-mile stretch of southbound Interstate-15 is down to two lanes in California’s Cajon Pass after a portion of roadway washed away, causing a fire engine to tumble off the side of the highway.

The partial I-15 southbound closure is between Highway 138 and Cleghorn Road, according to San Bernardino County Fire spokesman Eric Sherwin. Initially all southbound lanes were shut down.

As of 9:30 p.m., authorities expected the partial closure to last several hours, with additional closures possible this weekend depending on weather.

No firefighters were injured when the engine slipped off the side of the roadway, Sherwin said.

The engine was initially dangling over an edge when water erosion from ongoing storms caused the roadway to suddenly fail Friday night. All firefighters on board were able to escape before the engine fell a few minutes later.

At about 10 p.m., fire crews were working a separate swift water rescue connected to California’s storms near Highway 138 and Summit Valley Road, about 10 miles east of where the engine fell.

About 50 vehicles were reportedly in water, and at least seven were reportedly submerged, Sherwin said. As of 10:15 p.m. it was unclear if anyone had been injured.

Sherwin advised travelers to expect delays or plan different routes.

Cajon Pass is about 200 miles southwest of Las Vegas.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.