Lightning sparks six new wildfires in area

Monday, Aug. 8, 2005 | 10:42 a.m.

Dry lightning storms sweeping toward Las Vegas from the west and the southwest sparked six new wildfires in surrounding Southern Nevada mountains Sunday.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also reported an additional five smaller brush fires, said Lee Nelson, fire management officer with the service.

The largest blaze, known as the Arden Fire, grew to 55 acres late Sunday and was burning five miles south of State Route 160, off the road between Las Vegas and Pahrump, said Kirsten Cannon, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Land Management.

Two helicopters, three single-engine air tankers, one ground engine, eight smoke jumpers and a 20-person crew battled the fire manually until dark, Cannon said.

Flames continued to burn grass and brush in a mix of steep terrain and dry washes overnight, but no structures had been threatened, Cannon said.

Other fires had been stopped or surrounded after thunderstorms formed and pushed into the valley shortly after noon.

A 30-acre fire known as the Red Rock Fire had been stopped at the entrance to Red Rock Campground along Moenkopi Road, Cannon said.

The Overlook Fire had burned up to 20 acres and threatened corrals, fences and the Cowboy Trail Rides east of State Route 159 in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, but was stopped by 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Another fire along State Route 160, the Grapevine Fire, burned four miles east of the highway near Pahrump, 60 miles west of Las Vegas, Cannon said. The flames burned about 10 acres of grass and brush at a moderate speed. Six smokejumpers went to this fire, Cannon said.

A five-acre fire known as the Blue Fire burned 10 miles south of State Route 160, but had also been stopped late Sunday, Cannon said.

The Bunker Ridge Fire burned four acres in the steep terrain of the Virgin Mountains, about 60 miles northeast of Las Vegas. Its progress was stopped by two single-engine air tankers and one ground

All of the new wildfires had been sparked by lightning strikes, Cannon said.

The fires reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, while smaller, continued to burn today. Most were small, such as the 10-acre Yucca Forest Fire on the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, about 30 miles north and northwest of Las Vegas, said Nelson.

Others included the 28-acre Trout Canyon Fire, off Highway 160 on the way to Pahrump, Nelson said.

While the Las Vegas Valley had another chance of thunderstorms today through Tuesday, drier air from the Pacific Ocean is expected to push into Southern Nevada and cut off the monsoon moisture after Wednesday. Temperatures are expected to stay in the lower 100s through the week.