How big is the Mount Charleston (Nevada) Fire? From where I live in Henderson, about 50 milesaway and at night, I can see the orange glow of flames and it is quite bright.
From the Las Vegas:
The blaze that until late this week crept along rugged rims of Mount Charleston grew to as many as 9,000 acres Friday and swept into Kyle Canyon, threatening hundreds of homes.
The Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reported that 400 structures were in danger as the uncontained, wind-fueled wildfire moved north and south along a ridge overlooking the canyon and devoured dry vegetation atop the mountain range, one of Las Vegas’s most popular and coolest destinations.
Police and fire officials ordered more than 500 residents to evacuate as hundreds of firefighters — most of whom specialize in attacking aggressive, wind-whipped blazes in steep, rocky terrain — made their way up the mountain.
Officials made plans Friday to turn Centennial High School in the north part of Las Vegas Valley into the incident command post for the fire in a move intended to keep resources close to the threatened structures in Kyle Canyon. An estimated 700 to 800 firefighters will encamp at the school.
Work will begin and firefighters will start arriving Saturday afternoon and continue through Sunday, said Butch Smith, a facility unit leader of the National Incident Management Team. Tents will be set up on the soccer field and personnel will use some of the classrooms for logistics and planning operations.
It was unclear Friday exactly how many acres the blaze had torched, but the figure grew from 2,000 to as many as 9,000 acres by midafternoon. The glow of flames was visible from North Las Vegas. Suzanne Shelp, Spring Mountains National Recreation Area trails program manager, said the fire had scorched 9,030 acres. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/fire-rescue/6000-8000-acre-fire-threatens-hundreds-homes
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