Big Bend fire burns 224 acres near Laughlin
A brush fire that has burned 224 acres outside of Laughlin was about 75 percent contained Monday night, officials said.
“We don’t know when it will be totally contained, but it will be a slow process because of the heat,” said Jennifer Ramella, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The fire started around 1:30 p.m. Sunday near the Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area, south of Laughlin.
Ramella said there will be one helicopter and one engine patrolling tonight, primarily monitoring interior hot spots because there is no forward movement on the perimeter of the fire.
The park remains closed, but Ramella said the goal is to have it reopened Thursday.
There have been no injuries, and no structures were in danger Monday, she said. Some downed transmission poles were replaced overnight by power company crews.
A 10-mile stretch of Needles Highway that runs through the park is closed due to the fire, but Ramella said it should reopen by Tuesday.
Several municipal fire crews that fought the fire Sunday were recalled overnight, including crews from Clark County and Boulder City.
Ramella said 130 personnel are still on site, from the Nevada Division of Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0217. Review-Journal staff writer Alexis Egeland contributed to this report.
