Plumes of smoke rise from the Sandy Valley wildfire in the Spring Mountains about two miles west of State Route 160 Friday, June 11, 2021.
Published Friday, June 11, 2021 | 8:29 a.m.
Updated Friday, June 11, 2021 | 8:30 p.m.
Target shooting started a wildfire on a mountainside 21 miles southwest of Las Vegas burned about 1,600 acres, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
As of Friday evening, the Sandy Valley Fire, which was scorching trees, grass and brush, was about 40% contained, officials said.
The fire started about 1:30 p.m. Thursday on Forest Service and BLM property off Sandy Valley Road, about 2 miles from State Route 160, the main highway between Las Vegas and Pahrump.
The BLM said investigators determined the fire was sparked when a round from a gun ignited dry vegetation.
The fire prompted the precautionary evacuation of a Boy Scout camp, and sent a huge plume of smoke into the sky over Potosi Mountain. No structures were immediately in danger, and no injuries were reported, officials said.
Aircraft will continue to dump fire retardant today to try to keep the flames from further spreading, and about 200 firefighters were fighting the blaze on the ground, the BLM said.
The National Weather Service predicted the weekend will be exceptionally hot and dry. Forecasters issued an excessive heat warning for temperatures over 100 degrees in the Las Vegas area on Saturday and 110 degrees by Monday. Humidity is in the single digits.
In late May, the BLM and other agencies issued outdoor restrictions in Southern Nevada banning campfires, charcoal stoves and other open flames without a permit, as well as the use of explosives without a permit, fireworks, tracer rounds and off-road vehicles without a spark arrestor.
“We encourage folks to enjoy public land and to do so responsibly,” wrote Tyler Hecht, BLM Southern Nevada district fire management officer, in a news release. “If you are target shooting on public land, don’t shoot into the rocks or metal objects and place targets in areas free of vegetation.”
He noted that exploding targets are illegal in BLM land, as are steel-core ammunition. “Always have water, a shovel and a fire extinguisher ready in case a fire sparks.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
