Progress made in Nevada, Utah fires

Wednesday, June 30, 2004 | 11:07 a.m.

LAS VEGAS SUN SUN

Two wildfires in the southern parts of Nevada and Utah have been significantly reduced, fire officials in both states said this morning.

Fire officials in Southern Nevada this morning were continuing to monitor the brush fire that swept through nearly 1,500 acres of land in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge 40 miles north of Las Vegas Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management said.

The blaze had died down naturally by Tuesday afternoon, reducing the need to combat the flames with firefighters, the spokeswoman said. "The fire's behavior reduced dramatically from the first day it was burning," said Kirsten Cannon, a spokeswoman for the bureau.

Weather and the terrain in the area helped tame the blaze Tuesday, Cannon said. The fire had run into rocks, temperatures had cooled and wind in the area had died down, she said. Many of the trees that burned had not been healthy, Cannon said. Some of the trees, including juniper and ponderosa pine, had been killed by bugs and drought. The fire was first reported to the Bureau of Land Management about 3 Monday after smoke was seen over Coyote Springs, a wilderness study area near U.S. 93 and State Route 168, Cannon said.

In southern Utah, firefighters have made good progress battling the Square Fires, finishing Tuesday with 40 percent containment, officials said.

The wildfires were sparked by lightning Friday about 14 miles north of St. George. So far, 17,979 acres have been burned.

About 470 firefighters, 22 engines, four helicopters and three air tankers were assigned to the fire Tuesday, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

The fire was 20 percent contained before Tuesday, and officials say they still expect it to be fully contained by Sunday.

No structures were threatened. Except for several firefighters with minor heat exhaustion, no injuries have been reported.