I-15 reopened as wildfire continues in Washington County

Parts of Washington County reopened late Sunday after a wildfire forced evacuations and road closures.

The Cottonwood Trail Fire, which was burning along Interstate 15 after sparks from a tire blowout ignited the roadside brush on a windy day, forced evacuations and shut down the highway on Sunday afternoon.

But I-15 reopened — to 90-minute delays — late Sunday, according to the Utah Department of Transportation. Meanwhile, evacuations in Harrisburg and Leeds were lifted, though only local traffic was permitted in the Angel Heights neighborhood of Leeds.

Reported at more than 3,000 acres on Sunday, it was mapped at 1,631 acres on Monday morning, according to Utah Fire Info, and was 35% contained.

Although fire crews saw improvement Saturday night into Sunday morning as they battled multiple wildfires through the state, the Cottonwood Trail Fire spread rapidly due to high winds.

Other southwest Utah fires were slowing down late Sunday and early Monday.

The Turkey Farm Fire, three miles west of Washington City, was 85% contained as of early Monday at nearly 12,000 acres. Meanwhile, firefighters were patrolling and mopping up hot spots at the 2,618-acre Veyo West Fire, near the town of Veyo, also in Washington County, according to Utah Wildfire Info. According to the most recent update, that fire was 90% contained.

The Big Summit Fire, which had burned 8,453 acres in Iron County along the Nevada-Utah border, was 54% contained as of Mondau afternoon. Firefighters expected to contain the fire by Monday night, according to Utah Wildfire Info. Road closures in the Hamlin Valley were lifted on Sunday.

The Pole Canyon Fire, which was sparked Wednesday by a bulldozer near the Eagle Mountain neighborhood of White Hills, was 93% contained at 488 acres.

The Big Hollow Fire, which started Thursday south of Heber City, had burned 418 acres and was 85% contained as of Sunday afternoon.

The 40-acre Allen Fire in Daggett County along the Utah-Colorado border was still 90% contained. Lightning is suspected as the cause, and no structures were threatened.

A new fire, called the Dennis Hill Fire, started Monday near Park Valley and had burned through 700 acres as of 4:30 p.m. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

According to the National Weather Service, most of Utah is under a hazardous weather outlook, which could help or worsen Utah’s current wildfire situation.

Isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected on Monday over portions of southern, central and eastern Utah. With the possibility of these storms, strong winds could be a threat to firefighting efforts.

The likelihood of thunderstorms and strong winds will increase Tuesday into Wednesday. Thunderstorms with heavy rain are expected later in the week.