UPDATED: Southbound I-15 reopens following semitrailer fire

A semitrailer fire on I-15 shut down both southbound lanes near milepost 68 as firefighters deal with the scene, Iron County, June 19, 2020 | Photo by Hollie Reina, Cedar City News / St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A semitrailer that caught fire Friday afternoon closed down southbound I-15 four miles south of Parowan. The highway has since reopened.

A semitrailer fire on I-15 shut down both southbound lanes near milepost 68 as firefighters deal with the scene, Iron County, June 19, 2020 | Photo by Hollie Reina, Cedar City News / St. George News

Update June 19, 9 p.m. Southbound I-15 at milepost 68 has reopened to traffic. 

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, though photos submitted to St. George News around 3:30 p.m. show the trailer had been unhooked from the semitractor that had been hauling it.

Personnel from the Utah Highway Patrol and Cedar City Fire Department were also on scene managing traffic and throwing water on the fire that had engulfed the trailer.

The trailer fire also appeared to have set fire to brush into the median between travel lanes.

As of 5:30 p.m., UHP Sgt. Ryan Bauer said in a text to St. George News that the trailer and the cargo inside it were a total loss, though the semi that had been pulling it was fine. Fire crews remain on hand to put out the remainder of the fire, he said.

The fire has led to the closure of both southbound lanes on I-15 at milepost 71 by Parowan.

UDOT reported the scene cleared around 9 p.m.

According to the Utah Department of Transportation’s Twitter feed, southbound traffic is encouraged to detour onto Old Highway 91 in order to bypass the incident.

UDOT posted on Twitter that that southbound I-15 is expected to be fully open by 9 p.m.

St. George News reporter HOLLIE REINA contributed to this report.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!