Wildfire spreads to 1,200 acres 5 miles outside of Elko
A massive Northern Nevada wildfire that began Saturday night east of Elko has scorched at least 1,200 acres, officials said.
The blaze, which has taken on the name Silver State Fire, was about 8 percent contained as of 12:45 p.m., according to the Bureau of Land Management. Officials have said that the fire erupted about 9 p.m. Saturday on Elko Mountain, which sits about 5 miles east of the city.
It was not clear when authorities expect to have the fire fully contained.
Here are some pictures taken from the Silver State fire east of Elko, by one of our meteorologists. pic.twitter.com/bSVuJxz4Zm
— NWS Elko (@NWSElko) July 15, 2018
About 2 a.m., the Elko County Sheriff’s Office advised a voluntary evacuation in the area surrounding Last Chance Road, and an evacuation center has since been set up by the Red Cross, officials said.
The fire was threatening several nearby structures, but BLM said that no structures had been damaged as of Sunday afternoon.
Just after 11:20 a.m., the National Weather Service in Elko said that the fire remained active, as “lots of smoke is currently sitting across Elko.”
More than 200 emergency personnel were working Sunday to contain the fire, including single-engine air tankers and multiple helicopters.
Further details were not immediately available.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
