Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Firefighters finally contain wildfire in Las Vegas Valley

Brush fire

Steve Marcus

Black smoke filled the sky Saturday afternoon in the Las Vegas Valley from a large brush fire just east of UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium. This view is looking east from Desert Inn Road and Durango Drive.

Updated Sunday, April 17, 2011 | 10:38 a.m.

Brush fire

Smoke from the brush fire just east of UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium makes for a nice sunset over the Las Vegas Strip Saturday, April 16, 2011. Launch slideshow »

Brush fire

KSNV coverage of brush fire near Sam Boyd Stadium, April 16, 2011.

A wildfire whose smoke could be seen for miles across the Las Vegas Valley Saturday as it affected some 84 acres near the county's Wetlands Park has been contained, Clark County fire officials said Sunday morning.

The fire, which broke out about 3:43 p.m. Saturday in a marshy area north and east of UNLV's Sam Boyd Stadium, was about 20 percent contained early Sunday morning, with hot spots still burning throughout a 10-acre swath, officials said. The fire was deemed contained by 10 a.m.

The cause of the fire still remains under investigation, they said. No injuries were reported.

Officials said trails in the Wetlands Park Nature Preserve remain open because they were unharmed.

While the fire was confined to a rural area away from homes and other buildings, the smoke could been seen for miles — from the west side of Las Vegas to Southern Highlands on the south end of the valley.

While the fire was mostly in the county’s jurisdiction, some of it spread to property overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, and crews from the Clark County Fire Department, BLM, Nevada Division of Forestry, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service were all fighting the fire Saturday.

Metro Police assisted with security and monitoring the fire from the air.

Fire investigators were on scene, but it was too early to determine a cause, Clark County Assistant Fire Chief Mike Johnson said.

The area is one of the few places close to the developed part of the county that has enough vegetation to support a wildfire, Johnson said.

Much of it is covered with tamarisk and other vegetation, which makes access difficult. Crews were using chainsaws to cut their way into some areas, said BLM Assistant Fire Management Officer Chris Delaney.

Officials decided early they didn’t need to use airplanes or helicopters to fight the fire, Delaney said.

The humidity in the area usually rises in the evening, which should help firefighters, officials said. They were also grateful for the low winds Saturday, which helped keep the fire manageable.

Thick smoke, however, still spread to neighborhoods near the stadium Saturday night, and ash was falling on areas more than a mile away.

Officials encouraged residents with respiratory problems to avoid the smoke and stay indoors.

Fire season in Southern Nevada doesn’t usually begin until May, and not all of the seasonal fire crews are in place yet, Johnson said.

“Any time we have fires this early it is a cause for concern,” Delaney said. “Just remember, a little careless action can turn into a catastrophic fire.”

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