Las Vegas Sun

April 26, 2024

Small storms bring new fire starts to Elko County

A series of small thunderstorms sparked more wildland blazes over the Labor Day weekend in fire-scarred northeastern Nevada.

The largest was the 7,000-acre Webb Fire in Pine Valley in Eureka County south of Carlin. It was 10 percent contained on Monday.

More resources were being called in to assist the crews and heavy air tankers on the 11-square-mile blaze.

Two other fires in Pine Valley joined into the 500-acre Hay-Well fire, which was 50 percent contained.

Four other fires in the same area were held to 40 acres or less.

In O'Neil Basin, the Deer Creek fire had burned about 150 acres. It was being attacked by smoke jumpers.

The Silver Lake fire in the Owyhee Desert 30 miles south of Owyhee had burned about 1,500 acres and was 10 percent contained.

The Amazon fire eight miles north of Tuscarora had burned 150 acres.

In western Nevada, the August fire north of Stead was contained at 360 acres of grass and brush.

So far this year, 1,001 wildfires have burned 1.15 million acres in Nevada compared with 1.12 million acres in 681 fires at this time a year ago. Both are just under 1,800 square miles - slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.

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