Fire 85 percent contained; 12 injuries reported

Robert Macy

Thursday, June 8, 2000 | 10:23 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - A wildfire on the west side of Mount Charleston burned for a sixth day in a rugged canyon, though firefighters nearly have it contained.

U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Betty Blodgett said Thursday that firefighters had the Buck Springs blaze 85 percent contained and expect to fully encircle it sometime Thursday or Friday.

The blaze began Saturday on the west side of 9,800-foot Wheeler Peak, about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas near Pahrump.

Blodgett said 12 firefighters have suffered minor injuries, ranging from bruises to a sprained ankle. Many of the injuries were sustained as firefighters moved into higher, rocky, steep terrain to try to bring the blaze under control.

Officials said earlier in the week they expected full containment by Thursday. But winds gusting to 50 miles per hour fed the blaze Wednesday and kept aerial tankers and helicopters grounded, leaving only hand crews to battle the fire.

The high winds fanned pockets of fire and caused more anxious moments for about 80 residents of the tiny hamlet of Cold Creek at the foot of Wheeler Peak.

The fire has been restricted to the west side of the peak, but flames are visible at night in the tiny community, which is on the east side. Wednesday's strong winds sent heavy smoke drifting into the community, five miles from the fire line, for the second time in three days.

Blodgett said 551 firefighters are still working the blaze, down from 660 earlier this week. A third of those are expected to be demobilized Thursday, with 80 to 100 firefighters eventually being left for mop-up operations.

The fire is not expected to be extinguished until sometime next week, Blodgett said.

Much of the focus by Forest Service officials will turn to rehabilitating the 2,000 acres that burned.

No structures have been involved.

The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation. Officials say the blaze might have been started by campers in the remote area.