Errant tire sparks brush fire along I-15 in Mesquite

MESQUITE — A brush fire in Mesquite, Nevada, burned between Interstate 15 and Pioneer Boulevard Monday afternoon.

A roadside brush fire in Mesquite, Nevada, temporarily closed part of Pioneer and Horizon boulevards before being knocked down by firefighters, Mesquite, Nevada, Oct. 14, 2019 | Submitted photo, St. George News

The fire was reported around 2:30 p.m. PDT. According to a news release issued by Mesquite Fire and Rescue, the fire was started by a trailer that lost a tire and began to throw sparks. The occupants of the vehicle pulling the trailer attempted to put out the fire while calling 911.

As it burned along the roadside, the blaze initially sent a large plume of smoke into the air. Large flames were being pushed to the northeast towards Pioneer Boulevard at the intersection of Horizon Boulevard. The fire was also traveling slowly up a small hill to the west.

Emergency personnel from Mesquite Police Department closed traffic access to Pioneer Boulevard and Horizon Boulevard near the fire, according to a social media post by the police department.

Crews from Mesquite Fire and Rescue and the Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire District were divided into two divisions working along southbound I-15 and Pioneer Boulevard. The blaze was knocked down around an hour later, and crews remained on scene an additional hour to completely extinguish it. In total, 5.6 acres of brush were burned.

The roadway was partially reopened by the time it was knocked down, and no structures or individuals were reported to have been threatened or harmed by the fire.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

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