Helicopters dropped water on the vehicles.

There was no driving anywhere, not even off the road.

“People could not move their cars”.

As a brush fire spread to vehicles trapped along I-15, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said Friday he had never seen a situation quite as dramatic as the that unfolded on the main roadway connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The wildfire, which broke out yesterday in the drought-parched foothills of San Bernardino County, had charred more than 500 acres by late afternoon as crews battled to get it under control.

Art Santos and family also ran for their lives.

Before dawn Saturday, parts of the highway in the area had been reopened.

Lance Andrade, a 29-year-old railroad conductor from Apple Valley, was stopped in traffic when the fire jumped the freeway and panicked people started running toward him. The fire remains at five percent containment.

No injuries have been confirmed, according to InciWeb.

Neighboring mountain towns have been evacuated as the fire service attempts to save local homes.

It was being fuelled by dry conditions and heavy winds, the LA Times reported. “There were lots of people crying”. It’s chaos. “One man came in and said, “Oh my, my house is getting burned”””.

Fire officials asked that civilians refrain from sending drones up.

“Please stop flying hobby drones in the area”.

“It was just too chaotic, and we have to make sure there are certain safety checks in place before we turn vehicles around on the freeway”, said Officer John Antillon.

A firefighter on the interstate sprayed cars with a hose.

“It’s a huge mess”, Councilman Ryan McEachron said. Flames had singed the 18-wheeler standing next to it.

It’s the same decision firefighters face when flames approach them, he said.