Smoke from York Fire draws attention of Interstate 15 commuters heading to Las Vegas

Smoke from the York Fire, south of Interstate 15 and near Mountain Pass, drew the attention of weekend commuters heading to and from Las Vegas.

The vegetation fire was reported at 12:09 p.m. Friday, in the Mojave National Preserve, west of the Nevada state border, San Bernardino County Fire officials reported.

Several people driving along the highway told the Daily Press they saw smoke from a distance.

“The smoke didn’t look too bad, but as we drove closer to Mountain Pass, the smoke got darker,” said Victorville resident Emily Reyes, who drove to Henderson, Nevada to attend a family party.

The fire began east of Cima Road on Maruba and New York Mountain roads, and in a region that includes desert scrub, juniper, and Joshua tree woodland. The fire spread in a northeast direction and was moving at a moderate speed, firefighters said.

The west side of the fire was held within a rocky area, which meant the fire's spread was limited in that area, fire officials reported.

On the east side, the fire remained active and was backing into the wind, which often results in a slower spread, with less intensity and aggressive growth.

By Friday night, the fire was at 2,580 acres, with 0% containment.

There were 92 firefighter assigned to the incident. Crews had constructed fire lines, extinguished flames, and limited the fire's advancement. Air resources dropped water or fire retardant to create fire breaks to slow the fire’s spread.

There were no evacuations or closures reported on Friday night.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Smoke from York Fire draws attention of commuters on Interstate 15