Brush fire along I-15 at Hidden Meadows (UPDATED 6 p.m Wednesday)

This screenshot of a map from the Sig Alert website shows traffic slowing around 3:45 p.m. Monday.

[Update: Cal Fire at 6 p.m. Wednesday said the Gopher Fire was 85 percent contained on what became 35 acres of torched earth.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Cal Fire had said “With better mapping the IC (Incident Commander) reports the fire at 35 acres and 40 percent contained. Next update will be 6 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday).” Cal Fire said 10 engine companies and six crews with a total of 120 firefighters fought the blaze all day Tuesday.]

A 25-acre brush fire broke out around 3 p.m. just south of Lawrence Welk Village at Gopher Canyon Road in Hidden Meadows. Called the Gopher Fire by authorities, it only was 5 percent contained by 8 p.m., although the fire’s forward progress had been stopped, Cal Fire San Diego said on its Twitter feed.

Ground crews and personnel aboard five air tankers and four water- dropping helicopters worked to control the flames, which blackened 20 acres within its first two hours, said Issac Sanchez, a fire captain with the state agency.

“Many resources expected to remain overnight to increase containment,” Cal Fire officials said, adding the fire might not be fully contained until Tuesday afternoon.

Smoke could be seen across North County from Escondido to Vista. Three homes south of Lawrence Welk were evacuated. Those evacuation orders were lifted around 10 p.m.

Traffic was closed on all four I-15 southbound lanes through 5:46 p.m. when the number one and two lanes were reopened, according to CHP logs. The Old Highway 395 on-ramp to the southbound I-15 also was closed. Northbound lanes remained open, albeit with traffic backed up through El Norte Parkway.

These social media accounts were posted Monday afternoon.