ST. GEORGE — At first, the flames didn’t seem that troublesome.

But as Erica England and her family drove around a bend while traveling home from a weekend getaway in St. George, she saw just how serious a wildfire sparked near Harrisburg in Washington County had become.

England, her husband and the couple’s three children got up close and personal with the fire, which was later dubbed the Cottonwood Trail Fire by state officials, as her husband drove their car through the area on I-15 as it was being shut down and flames were leaping over the interstate.

Everything was on the left side of the road, she said.

“As far as we could tell, it was very contained,” England told KSL by phone, as she described a helicopter dropping water on the brushfire. “The craziest part is that it looked totally fine, but the winds started to change and it started to come our way so fast.

“Never have we experienced the way our car got hot.”

The fast-moving blaze burned up an estimated 3,000 acres by shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Utah fire officials. High winds fanned the flames, which was initially estimated at 2,000 acres by Mike Melton, the fire management officer for Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands in southern Utah.

That forced officials to close the interstate as multiple agencies responded, including 30 fire engines, three aerial tankers and four helicopters.

"We were sitting ducks in traffic and watched as the fire came right at us," Aly Winder said on Facebook. "We could feel the heat of it in our car. People were panicking, leaving their cars or driving off road. Scariest moment of my life. We are okay."

Winder, her mom and her 11-month-old son were traveling from Las Vegas when she says they were “trapped” on I-15 amid a sea of fire and chaos.

“People were starting to climb out of their cars,” she told KSL TV. “You could see people with their children running up the freeway.”

Some vehicles were simply left abandoned in the middle of the road as departing travelers sought to get away from the flames, she said.

But Winder and her family waited. Eventually, a break in traffic let them escape, she said.

Firefighters began to establish containment around 8 p.m., when the fire was 10% contained, according to Melton.

Evacuations were lifted for Harrisburg Sunday night but remained for homes in the Angel Heights subdivision west of I-15 in Leeds, where the Silver Reef subdivision was also still threatened as of 10:31 p.m.

Interstate 15 was closed in both directions in Washington County on Sunday night with detours, but northbound I-15 was reopened shortly after 7 p.m. Southbound I-15 reopened after 10 p.m. but drivers faced congestion and delays.

Old Highway 91 was closed at Leeds, and the Red Cliffs Campground was also evacuated as the crews responded to the fast-moving flames.

Silver Reef resident Gerry Reposa and his wife were on the interstate as the fire raged. They also saw people trying to get out of the line of fire — whatever way they could.

“They were backing up,” he said. “They were actually turning around on the freeway.”

Eventually, the fire jumped the interstate — right in front of Reposa. He watched helplessly as flames smoldered a car in the center median.

“It was burnt completely,” he said.

Each spectator that spoke to KSL made it out safely, though not without plenty of fright — and at times, a little panic. But they’re safe, thanks to the firefighters and first responders who helped guide and direct traffic, they said.

“It was completely unexpected and just absolutely terrifying,” Winder said.

The fire was started by a blown tire on I-15 near Harrisburg and remains under investigation, fire officials said.

No injuries were immediately reported, though one firefighter was sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation, officials said. He was treated at the facility and later released.

Several vehicles attempted to turn around to retreat from the fire, England told KSL. Many of them did, but one vehicle appeared to get stuck in the median and was evacuated by four passengers.

Wildfire Updates:

Evacuations lifted for Harrisburg in Washington County; northbound I-15 reopened

Here are the latest updates on the wildfires burning across Utah.

The four people raced to a flatbed truck driving in front of the Englands; the truck's driver slowed down to allow the extra passengers to climb aboard and be carried to safety. The England family followed the truck, and both vehicles — with extra passengers in tow — arrived at what they discovered was a closed section of the freeway moments later.

“My husband stayed totally calm, but I think he could hear my panic as our car got warm,” England said. “If there had been more people abandoning their car, then I feel like I would’ve been more panicked and opening my door and stuff. Those four people were the only ones we saw out of their vehicles, and they jumped right onto a flatbed because the flames were so close to where we were at.”

England added that her family was safe as they continued to drive home, and she thanked firefighters and first responders who quickly moved to extinguish the flames.

The Red Cross has set up a cooling and evacuation center at the Washington County fairgrounds, 5500 W. 339 South in Hurricane, to assist those evacuated, primarily in Leeds and Silver Reef.

Contributing: Emerson Oligschlager, KSL; Ladd Egan, KSL TV

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