Mountain Springs residents not worried about blaze

Wednesday, July 17, 2002 | 9:48 a.m.

The fear of wildfires is part of everyday life for residents of the sparsely populated community of Mountain Springs, just a few miles east of Lovell Canyon Road out toward Pahrump.

But even with a 3,400 acre-plus brush fire raging in the Spring Mountains above their homes, that fear doesn't overcome their lives.

"Anywhere you go there can be a fire risk," Bill Mensay, who has lived in Mountain Springs for four years, said as he enjoyed a bottle of beer in the local watering hole which a sign outside designates as"The World Famous" Mountain Springs Saloon. "If you live in the city you can have your house burn down."

Mensay, who described himself as an old cowboy, was among several longtime mountain residents gathered in the log cabin saloon that serves the community of Mountain Springs. They all had confidence that the fire would be contained.

"We're doing what we can do," Mensay said, adding that with all the wildfires burning in the West, the so-called Lost Cabin Fire was low on the priority list. "We'll have it under control."

Jami Youngblood noted the local fire station just around the corner from the saloon.

"We have faith in our firemen," Youngblood said.

The little community of Mountain Springs, which sits just off Highway 160, is surrounded by desert vegetation and brush.

Visitors at the saloon were more concerned than the residents about the billowing smoke and flames eating away at the brush just a few miles west, as the locals say they've seen closer fires before.

"I've gone to bed seeing the flames," Paul Etzler, a resident of nine years, said.

He's not concerned about losing his home, but if it happens, he said he'll make do.

"If the fire comes, I'll move on, travel a little lighter," Etzler said. "But where ever you go, you can't worry about disaster. You can't worry about it or it will drive you crazy."

All of the residents agreed that the beauty of the Mountain Springs area made it worth the fire risk, specifically citing the 10 to 20 degree drop in temperature from the Las Vegas Valley.

"If I tell you how good it is up here more people will want to live here," John Thompson, a resident of 10 years, said. "Right now most people don't know it exists, but it's like Mayberry."

Residents were also ready to defend their homes.

"We have contingency plans, if we have to leave, we leave,"Gary Smith, a resident of nine years, said. "We pull our horses and come back and fight the fire."