High winds help snuff out wildfire

Thursday, June 8, 2000 | 11:28 a.m.

Southwest winds gusting to 50 mph Wednesday blew out much of the Buck Springs fire like candles on a birthday cake.

But early today, islands of white pine, juniper and dry grasses flared back up, fanned by renewed windy conditions about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, where the wildfire has torched about 2,000 acres.

"We're going to have some work to do tomorrow," Black Mountain hotshot team leader Craig Workman of Carson City radioed late Wednesday from the ridge above Willow Springs, which is part of the Spring Mountain Range.

Ground crews had contained 85 percent of the flames by this morning. Full containment was expected late today.

"I can't stand up in this wind," Workman said as he monitored the flames with his crew of 20, part of about 500 firefighters remaining at the fire Wednesday.

It has cost more than $1 million for up to 660 firefighters to battle the six-day blaze, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Mick Mueller said this morning.

A dozen firefighters suffered injuries ranging from a sprained ankle to heat exhaustion, but none required hospitalization, Mueller said.

The National Weather Service extended a "red flag warning" from Wednesday through today due to 15 to 25 mph winds and low humidity.

About 11 a.m. Wednesday sparks from the western flank of the wildfire ignited a couple of trees on the eastern arm of the fire. The eastern section of the fire is located above Cold Creek Canyon, where about 80 residents live.

But a quick response by a gigantic Sikorsky Skycrane helicopter doused the new hot spots. Cold Creek residents are in no danger from the wildfire, Mueller said.

Sikorsky pilots grounded the helicopter that can carry up to 2,000 gallons of water in four compartments about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday as 50-mph gusts pounded the three square miles scorched by the wildfire.

The Buck Springs fire is one of 450 blazes raging from Florida to California, helicopter pilot Waili Simon of Las Vegas said.

"We've already fought four fires in this helicopter since May 1," said Simon, a 30-year helicopter pilot.

On the Sikorsky's final run, the flight crew discovered a brown bat clinging to the tail of the helicopter. They rescued it, wrapped in a towel and fed it apple slices after its ride down the mountain.

"It's just too windy to fly over the mountain," pilot Rick Leishman said. Flying into the wind with 1,000 gallons of water on board, the Sikorsky could reach a top speed of only 35 mph on Wednesday. The craft is capable of flying 100 mph, he said.

The Sikorsky and another helicopter will continue to douse flareups for up to a week, helicopter manager Lee Nelson said. During the height of the fire on Monday, nine aircraft, including helicopters and tankers, were attacking the blaze.

The high winds may help mop-up operations that will begin as soon as the fire is out, probably by the weekend, Nelson said, because the gusts torch unburned logs and debris. Like a sponge, grass and pine needles fill with moisture from the night air, he said. After an hour in the sun combined with nearby flames, they are tinder waiting for a spark.

Investigators were combing through smoldering ashes Wednesday, trying to find the point where the wildfire ignited.

Thick brush caught fire on Saturday two miles from the nearest road, about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The fire could have been caused by campers or a smoldering log that was struck by lightning in the area about two weeks ago, Nelson said. "We may never know the cause," he noted.