Firefighters Gain Ground On Range Fires

Firefighters finally gained ground Monday on the last of dozens of rangeland fires that have burned more than 300,000 acres across northern Nevada over the last week.

“Things are looking real good today,” fire information officer Stephanie Neal said. “All I can say is it’s been one long week.”

The Nevada blazes were among the largest in what has been the worst U.S. fire season since 1969. More than 5.29 million acres have burned across the West.

The Nevada fires were among 70 touched off by lightning in the last week that have charred mostly sage and grassland in remote federally-owned land.

The largest is a 140,000-acre fire about 50 miles east of Winnemucca, which was 90 percent contained Monday.