A bush burns in the desert near the Nevada-California border at the base of the New York Mountain Range in Searchlight, July 31, 2023
Published Sunday, July 30, 2023 | 2:12 p.m.
Updated Monday, July 31, 2023 | 3:44 p.m.
NIPTON, Calif. — At night, this tiny desert town just across the Nevada border is lit up by an orange glow in the distance.
The smoke is so thick that normal daily activities — things as simple as stepping outside to enjoy a cup of coffee — have been curtailed.
Nipton, with a population of about 20, sits on the northeast border of the Mojave National Preserve, where a wildfire has been burning out of control since Friday.
The fire, sweeping across the desert floor amid scorching summer temperatures and howling winds, has grown to some 120 square miles. It is feasting on desert scrub, juniper and Joshua trees.
Jim Eslinger, 66, who has lived in Nipton for 14 years, said he’s never seen anything like it.
“Last night, it was really smoky. I couldn’t even turn on my swamp cooler because it was so smoky,” Eslinger said Monday morning. “Yesterday, it looked like (the fire) was contained … and then next thing you know, the wind picked up.”
Eslinger and his wife, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have watched the fire with trepidation. They wonder if they will be forced to evacuate.
In the past few days, their morning coffee has had to be enjoyed indoors instead of on their porch like usual because of the smoke.
The Clark County Fire Department is stationing a mobile command near the Nevada-California state line and “preparing to go on the offensive to protect residential areas,” as the York Fire has crossed into Nevada near Searchlight, officials said Sunday.
There are no immediate plans to issue evacuation orders for residential areas of Searchlight and Nipton, Calif., fire officials said Sunday evening. Searchlight, a community of 445 residents, is 50 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the preserve was sending up a huge plume of smoke visible nearly 100 miles away across the state line in Nevada.
The York Fire was mapped at roughly 120 square miles on Monday with no containment, crossing into Nevada on Sunday and sending smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.
A smoky haze blotted out the sun midday on the Las Vegas Strip and obliterated views of mountains surrounding the city and suburbs. Because of low visibility, the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas reported departure delays of nearly two hours.
Efforts to contain the fire will be impacted by monsoonal thunderstorms, the National Weather Service in Nevada said Monday.
Frequent cloud-to-ground lightning, strong gusty winds and localized flash flooding are expected for Mohave, Clark, Lincoln and San Bernardino counties, including Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu.
The air quality level in parts of Las Vegas has been lowered to “unhealthy” because of the persistent smoke since Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said early Sunday evening. Residents with heart or lung disease, seniors and children are urged to avoid outdoor activities, officials said.
Clark County Fire is working closely with the Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County to contain the fire, which is spreading rapidly Sunday amid erratic winds.
Nevada State Police has closed State Route 164 and U.S. 95 in Searchlight because hazardous driving conditions. The agency said Sunday night they aren’t certain how long the closure will continue.
The York Fire originating in the Mojave National Preserve has crossed into Nevada near Searchlight, officials said Sunday, July 30, 2023.
Flames 20 feet high in some spots have charred more than 110 square miles of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to a Sunday incident update.
“The dry fuel acts as a ready ignition source, and when paired with those weather conditions it results in long-distance fire run and high flames, leading to extreme fire behavior,” the update said.
The update continued, “The focus today is on containment and suppression efforts, this is critical to limit the fire’s spread. The continued use of aircraft will be for fire retardant drops, and water drops to try and assist in slowing down the fire’s progression and allow the ground crews the ability to create containment lines. The fire retardant helps to reduce the fire’s intensity and limit its ability to spread further.”
Firefighters in California reported progress against another major blaze to the southwest of the York Fire that prompted evacuations.
The Bonny Fire was holding steady at about 3.4 square miles in rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the remote community of Aguanga.
Windy conditions and the chance of thunderstorms into Monday will heighten the risk of renewed growth, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
One firefighter was injured in the blaze, which was 5% contained Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
