Red Rock wildfire expected to be contained by Sunday evening
A 20-acre fire that broke out Friday morning in the Red Rock National Conservation Area is not expected to be fully contained until Sunday evening.
The fire, which was reported about 6:15 a.m., had stopped spreading by noon Friday at the Pine Creek Canyon trail. It was about 85 percent contained Saturday evening, according to Bureau of Land Management officials. Full containment of the blaze smoldering in desert shrubs, grasses and pinion pine is expected by Sunday evening.
Officials had initially thought full containment would be acheived Saturday night, but areas around the perimeter held too much heat, a release said.
Containment efforts continued overnight Friday, with the number of firefighters on scene dwindling from 60 on Friday to about 50 by Saturday morning.
The fire left behind a mosaic pattern in its path. The scorched land amounted to about 20 acres, but the perimeter of the total affected area stretched about 91 acres because of the large “unburned islands,” according to BLM spokeswoman Kirsten Cannon.
The Pine Creek trail is located northwest of the roughly 195,820-acre park’s scenic loop exit. The 13-mile scenic drive has not been affected by the fire, although the Pine Creek parking lot and trails in the immediate area will remain closed as crews work toward full containment, officials said.
No injuries have been reported.
The cause of the fire had not been determined as of Saturday. BLM officials will handle the investigation.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Mike Shoro contributed to this report.