PHOTOS: While Las Vegas breathes in the smoke from Californiaโs Gifford Fire, more wildfires are burning in Northern Nevada after lightning strikes ignited several blazes over the weekend. The biggest of those, the Snowstorm Fire, has burned 22,256 acres in western Elko County, about 500 miles north of Las Vegas. Discovered on Friday, it has already grown to the second-largest wildfire in Nevada this year.
At last report on Sunday evening, the Snowstorm Fire was burning grass and brush on federal land under Bureau of Land Management control. It was only 5% contained, with 51 personnel fighting โextremeโ fire behavior. The fire merged with the smaller Oregon Flat Fire in rugged terrain near a wilderness study area. Officials said lightning sparked 10 new wildfires in Elko County, but three were contained by Saturday. Two smaller fires just to the south, Milepost 22 (MP 22) and Jakes, were getting more resources. Both also started on Friday.
MP 22 had 74 firefighting personnel on hand as it grew to 4,230 acres, and 186 personnel were battling the Jakes Fire, which has consumed 3,271 acres of grass and brush. The three fires โ along with the much smaller Midas Town and Pole Creek fires โ formed a cluster just east of the Humboldt-Elko county line, with embers spreading the flames to the northwest. The 81-acre Midas Town Fire was designated as a priority as firefighters responded, and no structures were lost. The town was settled in 1907 during a gold mining boom.
