Saturday, June 28, 2008 | 7:10 p.m.
(First posted at 6:53 p.m.) A Piper cub single-engine plane crashed into some power lines in Echo Canyon near Mount Charleston about 3 p.m. today, killing four people on board and sparking a 10-acre wildfire that is spreading and threatening homes in the area, the Bureau of Land Management said.
By 7 p.m., the flames from the Echo Canyon fire threaten 38 structures, including cabin homes, and has closed State Route 157 leading to Mount Charleston. At this time residents are under voluntary evacuation due to erratic fire behavior and smoke, said Kirsten Cannon of the Bureau of Land Management. No structures have been lost to flames.
The fire was burning on U.S. Forest Service land.
Hikers have been evacuated from the area as well as some homeowners in Echo Canyon and upper Kyle Canyon, Cannon said.
In addition to a helicopter and an air attack platform, several engines from Clark County, the state and other federal agencies put about 100 people, including a hand crew, battled the flames, Cannon said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate why the single-engine plane, which took off from North Las Vegas Airport about 2:30 p.m. for Byron, Calif., about 500 miles away, crashed, an FAA spokesman said.
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