Vehicle fire, secondary rear-end crash on opposite sides of I-15 slow traffic near Kanarraville

Written by Jeff Richards
April 8, 2024

KANARRAVILLE – A vehicle fire and a rear-end collision caused traffic delays on both sides of Interstate 15 in Iron County on Monday morning.

Cedar City Fire Department personnel spray foam retardant on a smoldering Dodge Ram pickup on Interstate 15 near mile marker 47, Kanarraville, Utah, April 8, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The first incident happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. on the northbound side of I-15 near mile marker 47, just west of Kanarraville. It involved a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck that was pulling a small flatbed U-Haul trailer loaded with a three-wheel Harley Davidson motorcycle.

Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Clay Allred told Cedar City News the Dodge truck had been experiencing some mechanical issues.

“A warning light came on and then the vehicle began to smoke,” Allred said, adding that the vehicle soon became engulfed in flames.

“Everyone was able to get out of that vehicle,” Allred said, adding that no injuries were reported.

Cedar City Fire Department crews responded and were able to extinguish the fire. Although the pickup truck was a total loss, the trailer and motorcycle, which someone had successfully disengaged from the burning truck, appeared to be unscathed.

A wrecked Ford F-150 following a rear-end crash on Interstate 15 near mile marker 47, Kanarraville, Utah, April 8, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Within minutes of that incident, two other pickup trucks were involved in a secondary collision on the opposite, southbound side of I-15.

That crash involved a white Chevrolet Silverado that was rear-ended by a white Ford F-150.

According to UHP, one person, an occupant of the Chevrolet, was transported to the hospital for treatment of unspecified but “non-life threatening” injuries.

The driver of the Ford pickup received a citation, according to UHP.

Allred offered a cautionary reminder against the practice of rubbernecking.

“We would encourage all those driving on our highways to maintain vigilance on the roadway and pay attention to traffic conditions,” Allred said.

The dual incidents impacted traffic on both sides of the interstate for a little over one hour. Both sides of the roadway were cleared and fully reopened by noon, UHP said.

In addition to multiple UHP troopers and Cedar City Fire Department personnel, other responders included Iron County Sheriff’s Office and Gold Cross Ambulance.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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