Brush fire burns along Colorado River near Laughlin
A brush fire started Sunday afternoon and had burned 6 to 10 acres outside of Laughlin, according to the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The fire started around 1:30 p.m. near the Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area, department spokeswoman Jennifer Ramella said Sunday evening.
COLORADO RIVER: #SBCoFD Boat 32 is currently assisting @clarkcountyfire with a VEGETATION FIRE at Big Bend state park in Nevada. They will be assisting with fire attack utilizing the boat’s on-board suppression equipment and the river as the water source.-JRS pic.twitter.com/JUyDmN7B7U
— SB County Fire (@SBCOUNTYFIRE) August 18, 2019
The Nevada Division of Forestry is among agencies combating the fire. The Clark County Fire Department dispatched 15 units to the fire and is overseeing structure protection, she said, and no structures have been lost.
Other firefighters include units from Boulder City, Bullhead City, Fort Mojave and the Bureau of Land Management.
Ramella said about 500 visitors were evacuated from the park and no one was hurt.
The fire has not been fully contained, but Ramella said there are natural boundaries in place that should help, including park roads, a parking lot, the Colorado River, formerly burned areas and Needles Highway. She said the fire has jumped over the highway but remains within park boundaries.
Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.
