RENO, Nev. – Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn declared a state of emergency Tuesday as state and federal crews put practically every available piece of equipment on the lines to combat dozens of lightning-sparked fires that have burned more than 100,000 acres in the state.
More than 1,000 firefighters were battling dozens of fires, including a 57,000-acre fire on uninhabited rangeland in northeast Nevada and a complex of a dozen smaller fires around Reno and Carson City.
The fires were among 32 large ones burning in eight western states, according to the National Fire Information Center in Boise, Idaho.
No injuries were reported in any of the fires, and no buildings were burned.
However, the blazes, burning largely in sagebrush and grass, caused the closure of two major highways, scorched part of the training grounds at the state fire academy and forced evacuations of homes and businesses, including a legal brothel.
The Suzie Fire 10 miles north of Elko was the biggest. It had scorched across 57,000 acres of sagebrush and grass, and caused the closure of Interstate 80 for about three hours Monday. Just east of that was a 12,600-acre fire, and a third burned 6,000 acres of grass and brush.
In the more heavily timbered area east of Carson City, a fire grew to 6,000 acres overnight and looped north around the city, sending a mile-long snake of fire down a hillside near McClellan Peak. About 200 properties were threatened at one point, and a few were voluntarily and briefly evacuated, including the Moonlite Bunny Ranch.
Despite the continued threats, the Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel remained open.
Some residents also voluntarily left their homes north of Reno, where an estimated 120 firefighters were working a complex of fires as large as 800 acres in Palomino Valley and Lemmon Valley.
Near Sedona, Ariz., rain dampened the smoldering 4,200-acre wildfire that has threatened scenic Oak Creek Canyon for more a week, and fire managers lifted the evacuation order that sent about 400 people fleeing from their homes.
Associated Press
Matthew Roberts of Mound House, Nev., tries to keep his friend’s backyard fence damp Monday as a wildfire burns nearby.
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