Casey Pettus escaped without injury before flames destroyed his pickup and work tools near Cedar City, Utah.
CEDAR CITY, Utah — A contractor escaped from his pickup truck Wednesday after an apparent lightning strike disabled the vehicle during a rainstorm and a fire destroyed it along Interstate 15 in southern Utah, authorities and the driver said.
Casey Pettus said he was traveling north at about 12:30 p.m. near mile marker 50, between Kanarraville and Cedar City, when he saw a bright flash and felt a powerful jolt pass through his 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid. The truck immediately lost electrical power, leaving him to force the steering wheel toward the highway shoulder before smoke began entering the cab.
Pettus grabbed his phone and wallet and climbed out. He said the truck was engulfed in flames within about five minutes and destroyed in less than 20 minutes. The Cedar City Fire Department reported that no one was injured, and the Utah Highway Patrol said no other vehicles were involved. Both northbound lanes were temporarily closed while emergency crews responded and later reopened.
The driver and witnesses attributed the incident to lightning, but officials had not independently confirmed the precise cause of the fire as of Thursday. The Fire Department said it received a report that the vehicle had been struck, while the Highway Patrol also received information describing a possible lightning-related incident. Video and photographs taken afterward showed the pickup burning heavily on the roadside.
Pettus said he had been driving from St. George to Cedar City to prepare a bid for a possible home remodeling project. He was moving through a heavy downpour when the flash and jolt occurred. He said the sudden loss of power also disabled the truck’s power steering, requiring him to use significant force to guide it safely out of traffic.
Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Justin Faust said incidents involving lightning and vehicles are rare but not unprecedented. Faust said he had encountered one other case during his career in which lightning damaged a vehicle’s electrical system without causing a fire. In Wednesday’s incident, dispatchers initially told him only that a vehicle was burning and did not identify lightning as the suspected cause.
The blaze destroyed the truck and tools Pettus kept inside for his contracting work. A tow truck operator who responded after firefighters extinguished the flames said the pickup was considered a total loss. Pettus was working with his insurance company to address the damage.
Pettus said he felt fortunate to have escaped without injury. Authorities had not announced plans for further investigation or released an official determination of what ignited the truck. The highway was operating normally after the emergency response ended.
Author note: Last updated July 30, 2026.