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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A wildfire in southwestern Utah prompted closure of Interstate 15 in both directions Sunday.
The Ranch fire, which was reported at 3:11 p.m. Sunday, was burning on both sides of the highway in the stretch from 27 to 35 miles north of the Arizona border. . In some areas, flames burned right up to the pavement.
"Yeah we were coming back from Las Vegas, just coming up the freeway here, and they kicked us off because of the smoke."
The Sunday afternoon traffic was backed up for miles.
In some spots, troopers allowed vehicles to cross the median and turn back around to find alternative routes. Other motorists parked and were prepared to wait it out.
Pete Wilson: "Just watching the fire, let the dogs out and let them run around for a little bit, and talking to my mom."
John Gill, Ogden Resident: "We're just watching a movie. Kicked on a movie, slide out the slide, turn on the a-c... Wait it out!"
The Washington County sheriff's office and Utah Highway Patrol said Utah 18 through Enterprise was an alternate route for all vehicles, and Utah 9 through Zion National Park was open to passenger vehicles, but not oversize vehicles, such as semitrailer trucks and motorhomes.
Anne Stanworth, spokeswoman for the Color Country Fire Management Area, said the cause of the brush fire had not been determined. She said it was about 500 to 800 acres -- about three-fourths to 1 1/4 square miles.
There were two 20-members crews on the fire with five more crews ordered for Monday. They were aided by three helicopters, five air tankers and 10 engines.
No homes were threatened; however, firefighters were working to keep the flames away from some high voltage lines along the freeway.
At the time of this report, the freeway was still closed.
About 90 firefighters were on the three-fourth square mile Oak City fire in western Utah's Millard County. Three mobiles homes were burned. The fire was burning in pinon, juniper, sage gamble and mahogany brush.
Elsewhere, firefighters contained a one-half square mile (300 acre) lightning-caused South Kanosh fire southwest of Kanosh in the Fishlake national Forest, and the four square mile (2,500 acres) lightning-caused Sage Valley fire 15 miles west of Levan. The Sage Valley Road has been reopened.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
