Nevada’s largest wildfire of year still burning out of control

Sunday, July 11, 1999 | 9:07 a.m.

The fire has burned about 20,000 acres, more than double the 9,000 acres it had charred as of Friday morning, said John Noneman, Bureau of Land Management fire information officer in Winnemucca.

The fire posed a threat to some nearby ranches, but no buildings were damaged, he said. No major injuries were reported.

"The fire is still growing," Noneman said. "Last night we said the fire was about 50 percent contained, but now we're not sure. The fire has been making some minor runs in different directions."

High temperatures, high winds, inaccessible terrain and abundant fuel have hampered efforts to contain the fire, Noneman said.

The fire, which began Thursday, is burning mostly grass and sagebrush on mountains and valley floors managed by the BLM.

"We still do have some ranches in the area that are potentially threatened, but there's not any direct threat at this time," Noneman said.

The fire is burning in a southwest direction toward Sierra Pacific Resource's Valmy power plant, but still is well away from the plant, he added.

Helicopters and air tankers are assisting hand crews from local, state and federal agencies.

The fire began along the road to Midas from Tuscarora and was caused by man. Its exact cause is under investigation.

Fire officials fear lightning storms could cause more wildfires in northern Nevada over the weekend.

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