Quickly contained brush fires force I-5 closure near Arlington

EVERETT — Multiple brush fires burning Monday afternoon near I-5 in the Arlington area forced the closure of the northbound lanes of the highway.

At least two brush fires — one near the northbound I-5 rest area at milepost 207 and another near the Stilly Bridge at milepost 209 — forced the closures, according to Washington State Police spokesperson Kelsey Harding.

The cause of the fires was unknown, North County Fire Chief Dave Kraski said Monday. In total, the fires grew to about 8 to 10 acres in size, he said.

Around 2 p.m., the I-5 closure began at milepost 206 and ended at milepost 210, according to Harding and the Washington State Department of Transportation. Two miles were later reopened around 2:50 p.m., with the stretch of northbound I-5 between mileposts 208 and 210 remaining closed.

By about 3 p.m., the fire was mostly contained, Kraski said. Firefighters from multiple jurisdictions responded to the scene.

All lanes of I-5 reopened around 4:15 p.m. on Monday.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.

This article has been updated to correct the spelling of the Stilly Bridge.