Multi-state effort douses fire engulfing Walmart truck on I-15 on-ramp

Written by Chris Reed
May 31, 2023

BLACK ROCK, Arizona — Firefighting crews from multiple states and cities extinguished a blaze that enveloped the cab of a Walmart semitractor-trailer carrying water bottles on the last on-ramp of north Interstate 15 just before the Utah border Wednesday.

Firefighters battle semitractor-trailer fire on the northbound Interstate 15 on-ramp, Black Rock, Arizona, May 31, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The St. George Fire Department was first on the scene with three engines after the fire was reported around 11:30 a.m. on the Black Rock Road on-ramp to the northbound I-15. They were followed by firefighters from the Bureau of Land Management and the Beaver Dam Littlefield Fire District, with the latter department taking lead.

The fire was mostly out by noon and very little of the surrounding brush was blackened. The on-ramp, however, remained blocked until 12:30 p.m., with the debris removed by 2 p.m.

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation, and no injuries were reported.

While the fire was in Arizona, St. George stations were closer to the scene. Beaver Dam Littlefield Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Andre Ojeda told St. George News it was the quick action from the St. George team that kept the fire mostly contained to the semitractor without going more than five yards into the surrounding brush. 

Firefighters battle semitractor-trailer fire on the northbound Interstate 15 on-ramp, Black Rock, Arizona, May 31, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

“Coming all the way down from Littlefield takes us longer. Thank goodness we got Station 8 from St. George out there to help us,” Ojeda said. “They’re able to get all these engines from their stations and do the initial attack and actually prevent the fire from going out and becoming a wildfire.” 

Smoke from the fire could be seen from the SunRiver/Desert Color area. On the on-ramp, flames smothered the semitractor, reducing it to a mostly flat pile of blackened debris within 30 minutes.

The semitrailer seemingly weathered better on the outside, the white paint and Walmart logos intact. On the inside, however, there was extensive smoke damage as firefighters were inside hosing the front.

Much of the contents of the semitrailer, consisting of filled water bottles, appeared undamaged.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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