Las Vegas Sun

April 19, 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 8,500-acre Webb Fire in Pine Valley in Eureka County south of Carlin. It was 25 percent contained on Monday.

More resources were being called in to assist the crews, helicopters and heavy air tankers on the 13 1/4-square-mile blaze.

Two fires in Pine Valley joined into the 1,200-acre Hay-Well fire, which was 90 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 total just under 1,800 square miles - slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island.

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