Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Potosi fire 90 percent contained, but firefighters wary of wind

The 100-acre fire near Mount Potosi, southwest of Las Vegas, is 90 percent contained today, but 100 firefighters remain wary of erratic winds in Southern Nevada.

No injuries have been reported and no structures have been threatened since the fire broke out Wednesday about 1:30 a.m., said Kirsten Cannon of the Bureau of Land Management.

The two-lane State Route 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump was closed until 1 p.m. Wednesday until flames had moved toward a rugged mountainous area away from the highway.

The cause of the fire is unknown, Cannon said, but there was no lightning in the area and investigators believe humans caused the blaze, Cannon said. Brush and trees in the area are so dry and the relative humidity in the air is so low that a campfire left unattended, a cigarette tossed off the roadway or a bullet striking a rock and causing a spark could all cause the fire.

The U.S. Forest Service issued fire restrictions for the Spring Mountains, including Mount Charleston, today and they will extend into the autumn months.

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