Smoke from a wildfire billows from the mountains north of Las Vegas on Friday, Sept. 2, 2011. The wildfire is in a remote area of the Sheep Mountains at Hayford Peak.
Published Friday, Sept. 2, 2011 | 2:12 p.m.
Updated Friday, Sept. 2, 2011 | 10:44 p.m.
A fire that started about a week ago is still burning in the Sheep Mountain range north of Las Vegas on Bureau of Land Management land.
Smoke was visible this afternoon from the valley. U.S. Fish and Wildlife fire management officer Tim Rash said the fire has consumed about 50 acres.
Rash said the fire is at an elevation of about 7,000 feet and winds were pushing smoke away from the city. The fire was allowed to burn naturally and is being monitored by aircraft. There is no threat to structures.
The endangered desert tortoise doesn't live at that elevation above sea level, and desert bighorn sheep and other wildlife would easily be able to avoid the fire, Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman Dan Balduini said.
"There's really no risk to anyone or anything," Balduini said. "They're going to keep an eye on it. But winds are light and at this point and it's helping to manage fuel load."
"It's really beneficial to the area," he said.
BLM officials say several fires caused by lightning in the area were started last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy