New fire in southern Utah impacts traffic on Interstate 15
Jul 28, 2024, 7:07 PM | Updated: 10:19 pm
Interstate 15 in both directions were closed for a time Sunday evening in southern Utah due to the state of a new fire. (Utah Fire Info)
(Utah Fire Info)
CEDAR CITY — Interstate 15 in both directions were closed for a time Sunday in southern Utah due to the start of a new fire.
According to Utah Fire Info, the Tank Fire started up Sunday afternoon in Iron County near Enoch. At last report, the fire had burned roughly 10 acres. The fire had orginally been threatening structures. However, crews were able to stop it from moving forward.
Additionally, Utah Fire Info also said the fire was caused by a vehicle.
The recent wildfire in Iron County, near Enoch, Utah, has been named the #TankFire & burned an est. 10 acres, but crews were able to stop its forward progression. The fire was caused by a motor vehicle. Crews will continue with mop-up operations. This is the last update. #ffslkmg pic.twitter.com/sQhgnM2dp9
— Utah Fire Info (@UtahWildfire) July 28, 2024
“They’ve got the road completely closed down on both sides of the freeway there and using aircraft to put the fire out,” said Sgt. Battenfield with the Utah Highway Patol to KSL.
The UHP said the fire impacted both I-15 and Old Highway 91.
“The fire that started on I-15 affected Old Highway 91,” the UHP told KSL. “Old Highway 91 and I-15 was closed for about an hour. Both I-15 and 91 were affected by the fire.”
As of 8:30 p.m., the UHP said both roads are open. While the fire is not contained, neither highways are no longer being impacted by it.
(Nate Webster)
Other fires
That wasn’t the only fire to impact highways around the state.
The eastbound lanes of state Route 92 in Utah County is closed Sunday evening due to a fire near the roadway. On social media, UDOT reported that the highway was closed on the American Fork side at milepost 6 (Canyon Road) and on the Provo side at milepost 22, which is five miles noth of the US-189 Junction.
According to Kathy Jo Pollock with Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, the fire is located in the Timpooneke area and is three acres in size.
A nearby campground was evacuated as a precaution. There have been no injuries reported as a result of the fire.
Pollock is hopeful the fire will be contained by 3 a.m. Roads will remain closed while crews are working on the fire, due to safety concerns.
In Summit County, the Browns Canyon Fire sparked Sunday. According to the Summit County Facebook page, the fire had burned 10 acres. Resources have stopped the progression of the fire.
The cause of this fire remains under investigation. No structures were damaged from the fire.
