Federal fire managers on Monday reported active fires in at least nine states.
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A vehicle carrying Bureau of Land Management firefighters heading back from looking for lightning-sparked wildfires crashed, killing two of them and injuring another on a Nevada highway near the OR state line.
A firefighting truck overturned Sunday evening on US 95, BLM spokesman Stephen Clutter said Monday. Gusty winds threaten to fan the flames Monday.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management crew members were returning to Winnemucca from fire-spotting patrol following weekend lightning strikes near the OR state line town of Denio, BLM spokesman Stephen Clutter said.
The highway patrol and local agencies escorted the bodies of the two dead firefighters during the 165-mile trip on Interstate 80 from Winnemucca to Reno, Clutter and Stewart said.
Stewart said the preliminary investigation indicates the truck overturned due to tire failure.
Officials said Monday that two more houses burned.
Authorities say 28-year-old Jimmy Andrew Suggs and 26-year-old Zackary Ryan Kuykendall from Vinemont, Alabama, didn’t properly extinguish a campfire, causing flames to flare up and spread in hot, windy weather Saturday.
Crews have not seen as much smoke in the past 24 hours, so they’re hopeful that is a good sign. The trio admitted to being out on the mountain the night before, saying they were “camping out and stuff” before police told them to head to the evacuation site.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said he expects all residents will be able return home in “days, not weeks”.
Crews spotted an unauthorized drone over a southern Utah wildfire for the fifth time since it ignited almost a month ago, stirring fears that firefighting aircraft could be at risk of a collision.
The Hayden Pass Fire more than doubled in size to about 19 square miles on Monday and hasn’t been contained at all.
The 3.6-square-mile fire has been burning on a ridge above the town of Pine Valley. It’s unclear if it was the same drone in all five instances.Investigators initially couldn’t reach the campsite where the blaze allegedly started because of fire activity. “They’re not the type of people who ever think about asking for help, so I figure I would ask for them”.
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On Tuesday firefighters hit the west side of the fire and they tried to tackle the interior of the fire.
