Multiple crashes create standstill traffic in both directions on I-15 near Littlefield, Arizona

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An SUV after it was rear-ended near southbound I-15 at mile marker 9, near Mesquite, Nevada, April 2, 2023 | Photo courtesy Spencer Lewis Mesquite Fire Department, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Travelers on Interstate 15 were slowed to a stop Sunday evening after multiple accidents and vehicle fires brought heavy spring break traffic to a halt near Littlefield, Arizona and Mesquite, Nevada.

The first incident occurred around 5 p.m. MDT near mile marker 9, near Littlefield and involved two southbound vehicles, Mesquite Fire Department Administrative Captain Spencer Lewis told St. George News.

Lewis said a van rear-ended an SUV, causing it to roll multiple times off the roadway. There were 14 patients involved in the collision, nine of which were not transported to a hospital.

Three patients were flown by Life Flight to St. George Regional Hospital, with two others transported via ambulance to the same location.

A second incident occurred near mile marker 3, near Mesquite and involved four northbound vehicles, Lewis said.

Flames poured out of three vehicles. A tall plume of smoke was caught on video and posted on the Facebook page Pain in the Gorge  at approximately 6:30 p.m. MDT.

Lewis did not yet have details from the second incident when St. George News spoke with him shortly after 7 p.m. MDT. He reported that ambulances were having a difficult time getting through the stopped traffic to reach the scene of the vehicle fires.

They will not know the cause of the second incident without further investigation, Lewis said in a text to St. George News. He also said that I-15 southbound traffic had resumed a normal flow, but the northbound roadway was estimated to remain closed until approximately 8:15 p.m. MDT.

This report is based on statements from emergency personnel and may not include the full scope of the investigation into both incidents.

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

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master’s degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.



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