Flames from a nearby brush fire quickly overtook a stretch of a packed highway that leads from Southern California to Las Vegas on Friday, causing havoc on a freeway that is routinely gridlocked at that time.
The fire started in the Cajon Pass along Interstate 15, which is the main highway between Southern California and Las Vegas. Fueled by desert winds and bone-dry brush by the freeway, the fire spread quickly before jumping onto the southbound lanes of the highway, soon forcing drivers and passengers to run from their vehicles, according to ABC News.
The incident resulted in the destruction of at least two dozen cars, five homes, a tractor-trailer and a boat, and the fire grew to 3,500 acres by evening. California Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Carapia told ABC 7 News in Los Angeles that 50 to 75 vehicles were left abandoned on the freeway, The New York Times reported.
Russell Allevato, 45, of Southgate, Mich., was among those who were in cars destroyed by the fire.
"It was total smoke and all the cars just started to stack and the fire got closer to us, and everyone started running up the hill," said Mr. Allevato, who was traveling with relatives in a rental car. "Hundreds and hundreds of people running up the hill."
Fire tankers dumped gallons of water directly on the freeway to extinguish the flames, but wind conditions served to counter their efforts, leading to dozens of homes being forced to evacuate, according to AccuWeather.
"It's going to be a long night," said Steve Carapia, an official with the California Highway Patrol. "But there is no more danger in that immediate area."
The section of Interstate 15 will most likely be closed through the weekend, officials said.
