Central Utah freeways reopen from fire closure; additional crews expected to fight blaze

FILLMORE, Millard County — More than 100 miles of interstate in central Utah was reopened to traffic Sunday morning, roadway that had been previously closed due to a massive wildfire in the area.

The Milford Flat Fire, which officials believe was sparked by lightning Friday afternoon, prompted the closure of 93 miles of I-15 from Scipio, Millard County, to just south of Beaver, and 23 miles of I-70 from I-15 to near Richfield Saturday.

"It is not so close to the freeway (now) as to pose an imminent danger," Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Steve Winward said Sunday morning. "But they are monitoring it."

I-15 and I-70 re-opened at 8 a.m. Sunday, Winward said.

So far, the Milford Flat Fire has burned an estimated 160,000 acres, or 250 square miles, fire information officer LaCee Bartholomew said.

"The fire laid down a little overnight, but it's still active," she added. "We don't have an accurate updated acreage, but it did grow."

Officials planned to map the fire with global positioning system technology from the air later Sunday.

The blaze caused the closure of the freeways Saturday afternoon after flames jumped road lanes. Heavy smoke hampered visibility and a California couple on a motorcycle was killed south of Kanosh after being struck from behind while slowing down or stopping, officials said.

Roy Rex Redmon, 68, and his wife Mary Ann Redmon, 65, of Rowland Heights, Calif., were struck and knocked over by a station wagon, which had also been struck from behind by another car, Lt. Winward said.

The wagon then ran over the Redmons and kept driving, Winward said. The Redmons were dead at the scene and police are still trying to locate the driver of the wagon, he said.

With flames threatening the freeways, almost a dozen truck drivers disconnected their trailers in the middle of lanes and drove off Saturday, a safety move urged by highway patrol troopers. The drivers were able to retrieve their loads Sunday morning.

Officials believe lightning sparked the fire about 4 p.m. Friday east of Milford, Beaver County. Low humidity and winds reaching up to 40 mph fanned the flames, which Sunday were marching in both northeast and northwest directions, said Wende Wilding, a public affairs officer for the Fillmore office of the Bureau of Land Management.

A "Type I" firefighting team — aircraft and crews of about 500 personnel — was en route to the area, Wilding said.

They were expected to arrive by noon.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has pledged to help Utah cover some of the costs of fighting the fire, Utah Department of Public Safety Director Scott Duncan said.

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Contributing: Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press

E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com