Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Officials scramble to battle blazes

Federal, state and local officials this morning were scrambling to respond to wildfires sparked by overnight thunderstorms in Clark County.

Multiple, widely separated areas were burning, including the La Madre wilderness within the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area west of Las Vegas. Also burning were spots in the Mormon Mountains near Logandale and near the intersection of U.S. 93 and Interstate 15, at Apex.

Other officials identified fires burning near Bunkerville outside Mesquite and on Mount Charleston.

Officials said last winter's heavy rain and snow have created a tinderbox throughout the region, and particularly in Clark County's mountains. The spark came from the thunderstorms, which produced little rain but numerous lightning strikes in the region.

More thunderstorms are possible today, which could exacerbate the situation.

The National Weather Service issued a "red flag warning" of high wildfire risk for Clark, Lincoln, Nye and Esmeralda counties today due to the threat of "dry" lightning, which comes without the benefit of heavy rain, and strong winds associated with thunderstorms.

Kirsten Cannon, Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman, said this morning that federal and local agencies were working to access the situation.

"They are all out triaging those right now, picking those that need responses first," she said.

Beth Short, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service, said resources have already been committed to fire suppression.

Three single-engine air tankers and a helicopter are assessing the fire at the La Madre wilderness area and dropping fire retardant, Short said.

She said specialized "hot shot" firefighting crews have been ordered to the area through the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho and are on their way, but it was not immediately clear when they will arrive.

The federal officials were still working to access the multiple fires and the threats of more fires this morning.

"We're getting a lot of reports," Short said. The forest service will not know the total severity of the fires "until we get some resources out there to assess the situation and let us know what's going on."

Short said structures did not appear to be immediately threatened, however.

Pete Anderson, state forester with the Nevada Division of Forestry, said at least three separate wildfires were burning in and around lower Kyle Canyon.

"Multiple units are responding including our crews from Indian Springs and Jean and Mount Charleston units," Anderson said. "There is also a 500-acre wildfire in Caliente on BLM land which our Pioche crews are initial attacking as we speak."

He said a mix of local, state and federal fire fighters are responding to the widely spaced wildfires.

"There is active suppression going on. Helicopters, hand crews and engines are all responding. We're doing OK right now. The issue, though, is that with this weather and this lightning, with the fuel situation, we could have a problem.

"We've got a good handle on it at the moment. We'll just have to see how this day plays out."

If needed, the forestry division and federal officials have the ability to call in support from neighboring states.

archive