Lightning sparks wildfire

Friday, Aug. 13, 2004 | 10:58 a.m.

Thursday night's lightning sparked a 100-acre wildfire just a mile away from the historic town of St. Thomas in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

A National Park Service crew requested help from the National Forest Service and the Clark County Fire Department to put out the flames early this morning, spokesperson Roxanne Dey said. The crew expected to have the fire out by this afternoon, she said.

St. Thomas was covered with water after Hoover Dam was built, but it has emerged as Lake Mead's water level has dropped.

According to dispatchers, the wildfire poses a greater threat because of invasive tamarisk plants in the area that can burn extensively, potentially spreading the fire to the 139-year-old town of St. Thomas, as well as Overton, three miles away.

Dey said St. Thomas and Overton were not in any danger.

"There isn't really much to burn at St. Thomas," she said. "I don't think it burned far enough to reach Overton."

However, she said, because of hot temperatures and dry vegetation, the fire danger is high.

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