PRIMM, Nev. - Labor Day weekend experienced a rough start Friday. Flames engulfed brush along Interstate 15 near Cajon Pass. The fire brought traffic in the area to a standstill while firefighters rushed to bring the blaze under control.
"Smoke everywhere and helicopters flying all around, dumping water out, airplanes flying around also," one traveler said.
The traffic delays inflamed travelers.
One Las Vegas driver trying to get to Los Angeles was in the thick of the heat and the action. He snapped some photos with his iPhone before deciding to turn around.
"People were just all over the freeway, just kind of hanging out, just waiting and was like, ‘I'm coming back home. I don't want to wait there for the fire,'" he said.
Drivers from Los Angeles who thought they were getting a jump start on their vacation to Las Vegas quickly realized their plans were burned as they tried to access the major artery connecting Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
"As we got closer and closer, it was moving pretty slow," said driver Al Robeles. "As we got closer, we saw the left side. There was a blaze there. We saw all these fire trucks from different cities too."
"There was a fire and then our car overheated, so overall, kind of a bad day," said driver Jaime Alanaz.
Travelers heading south were stranded for hours until workers finally took down the barricades on I-15. Northbound drivers had to deal with reduced lanes and slower traffic. Some were lucky enough to edge through the mess before it boiled over.
"I think timing. We got out just in time. If we got out any later, I think we would have been stuck in that parking lot. We would have been part of it. We got out just in time," said driver Anthony Martinez.
"Economy-wise, it's gonna' be really bad - a negative effect in Vegas," said driver Martha Munoz. "Everybody needs money and to make money, so it's pretty bad."
"It's horrible," one traveler said. "It ruins a lot of people's weekends and just a tragedy that it happened today."
At least one driver suffered smoke inhalation. Initially, Cajon Pass was expected to be shut down until Saturday morning, but firefighters made better gains than they expected.
They will continue to monitor the fire and close lanes if necessary.
