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Motorists heading for California’s Central Valley or the Bay Area anytime soon should count on taking circuitous routes. A 14-mile stretch of Interstate 5 remains closed by the Delta Fire, which started Wednesday afternoon, effectively halting through traffic between Mount Shasta City on the north to Redding on the South. Sound-bound travelers will have slip over to the coast and take U.S. 101 or take a mountainous route on Highway 89 from Mount Shasta City to Burney and then veer southwest on Highway 299 to regain I-5 in Redding. The Delta Fire and Hirz Fire, which broke out Aug. 9, 18 miles northeast of Redding, have connected, Cal Fire spokesman Brandon Vaccaro said Sunday. The Delta Fire had expanded to nearly 41,000 acres Sunday afternoon, and was 5 percent contained, while the 46,150-acre Hirz fire east of the new blaze was 95 percent contained. Fire activity picked up around the north end in the Gulch Creek watershed just south of Shoemaker. Fire commanders will still likely consider it two operations, Vaccaro said. But the Delta Fire’s east control line will be the Hirz Fire. “We do that often when there is a burn history,” Vaccaro said. “There was a fire through here six years ago, and we can use that old burn as a fire break because there is reduced fuel. Vaccaro said travel on Highway 89 has been moving at a reasonable pace. “It isn’t too back until you get stuck behind a truck going up those grades,” he said. “People have potentially found other routes of travel, and there aren’t many.” Though the freeway remains closed, Vaccaro said it was primarily precautionary. “The road doesn’t appear to be damaged but they are checking the structural integrity of the bridges and concrete, where pockets of moisture can expand when there is great heat and cause fractures.” Vaccaro said Union Pacific railroad operations continue. “It’s a minute by minute thing, but we’ve had a train go by our location a couple of times,” Vaccaro said. There were 2,374 firefighters and support staff working the scene on Sunday, with more on the way. “We’re up quite a bit today, and I imagine you will see the number rise,” Vaccaro said. “There isn’t a ton of fire activity in California right now. Resources should be fairly easy to get in.” Amtrak’s Starlight passenger trains connecting Seattle and Los Angeles, meanwhile have been suspended. The U.S. Forest Service has closed a 55-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Trail, which crosses I-5 near Castle Crags State Park. The closure on the east side of I-5 runs from Ash Camp (mile 1471) to Gumboot Trailhead (mile 1525). Prior to this weekend, Vaccaro said, only 11 miles were shut down. Elsewhere, a Sunday put the 32,398-acre Natchez Fire near Happy Camp 74 percent contained with hotspots primarily on the western perimeter. The 130,258 Klondike Fire is 51 percent contained. Bear Camp Road was closed Saturday to all non-fire traffic from the intersection with the Merlin-Galice Road west to the intersection with Forest Service Road 33 near Agness. Fire officials said the closure is indefinite. Road 3313 in the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest is also closed from the junction at Road 33 to the junction at Road 3680. Residents in the Bear Creek drainage will likely get a break from heavy smoke until next weekend, but still see a build up later in the day. The worst of the smoke will continue to drift from the Klondike and Taylor Creek fires. “We’ve got weak fronts coming through the area,” said Brad Schaaf, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Medford. “As long as we have west winds, we could see more smoke in the afternoons especially when the first get a little more active. It’s kind of like sitting by the campfire with the wind blowing into your face.” There is a 20 to 30 percent chance of rain following in the Klondike and Taylor Creek fire areas early in the week. But there’s little chance of seeing the first precipitation in the Medford area since July 15, he said. An expected thermal trough could heat temperatures up next week, with northerly winds thrusting smoke into the valley. “Make sure you hang to your smoke masks,” Schaaf said. “Because you may end up needing them.” Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at #GregMTBusiness or www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 . KTVL reporter Jennevieve Fong's report, below: