Focus of fires moves eastward

Tuesday, Aug. 10, 1999 | 3:21 a.m.

line THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Thousands of firefighters neared victory Tuesday over the largest wildland blaze in Nevada while to the east, the second largest continued to grow.

The Sadler complex 45 miles south of Elko had burned 297,000 acres of grass, sagebrush and pines after making a fast run on Monday, Elko Interagency Fire dispatch center spokesman Mike Cassidy said.

"We're more optimistic than we were. After five days, finally," he said.

The huge blaze is 70 percent contained and crews hope to have it completely surrounded by Thursday.

The biggest of the fires sparked by last week's dry lighting, the 20-blaze Dun Glenn Complex between Winnemucca and Lovelock, was holding fairly steady at 361,656 acres and was about 95 percent contained.

So far this year, fires have blackened 1.4 million acres in Nevada, or just under 2,200 square miles.

Cassidy said Tuesday's thunderstorms brought a little rain to the fire area and the lightning apparently didn't spark any new fires although there was concern some of the strikes might produce holdovers, which spring into flames later.

There currently are 4,100 firefighters in Nevada - 900 of them on the Sadler fires alone - and 212 engines assisted by 60 air tankers, helicopters and light aircraft.

Some of the crews that have been released from the fire lines are catching a few hours' rest at staging areas in Winnemucca and Elko while they wait to see what the thunderstorms do, Cassidy said.