Vegas-area fire doused; crews staying on hand

Monday, July 22, 2002 | 10:21 a.m.

Two hand crews, five fire engines and a helicopter remained Sunday at the Lost Cabin wildfire, 25 miles west of Las Vegas, which was finally doused over the weekend after a weeklong effort.

It cost about $897,064 to contain the 4,300-acre blaze, which was completed about 8 a.m. Saturday, Battalion Chief Doug Lannon of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Remaining firefighters spent Sunday mopping up and patrolling the fire's perimeter to make sure there were no hot spots, Lannon said.

Crews from the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest resumed management of the area Sunday. The California department had taken command of the Lost Cabin Fire July 15, because no federal agencies were available to supervise firefighting efforts.

The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area reopened Saturday after the Lost Cabin fire was declared out.

"We are confident now that the danger to public safety has passed and are reopening the area to recreational use," Rob Mrowka, deputy forest supervisor for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, said.

Lovell Canyon Road at State Highway 160 and the Trout Canyon to Lovell Summit Road reopened this morning. The wildfire threatened a ranch for children, seven homes and wildlife, Lannon said.

An extensive effort by 180 firefighters from across the West and rain on Wednesday and Thursday helped stop the flames that swept across Lovell Canyon since the lightning-sparked fire was spotted July 13.

Between 90 and 100 lightning strikes a year cause a tree or two to burn, said Lee Nelson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A spotter helicopter discovered such a fire on Mount Potosi, southeast of the Lost Cabin blaze, on Thursday night. A truck with a two-man crew from Mountain Springs Fire Department put out the new fire on Friday.

Three injuries were reported by firefighters. One suffered a spider bite, another injured a wrist in a fall and a third had an allergic reaction to an insect bite.

Four Red Cross volunteers using an emergency response vehicle delivered bottled juices donated by the Ocean Spray bottling plant in Henderson and Costco donated bottled water and juice, spokeswoman Trish Williamson said.

As the result of strained firefighting resources, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., asked for an investigation on Friday into air tankers, grounded since the second one crashed on Thursday in Colorado. The first crash occurred on June 17 at the Walker fire.