Firefighters make gains in Nevada; top BLM official visiting

RENO, Nev. — Fire crews battling hundreds of square miles of wildfires in Nevada were being shuffled Friday as gains were made on some large blazes and resources were shifted to others that remained uncontained or out of control.

Crews were beginning to be reassigned from the Hawken fire in southwest Reno because the threat to homes had greatly diminished, officials said.

"Everything's looking really, really good," fire spokeswoman Marian Swinney said Friday.

The fire that broke out Monday and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents was 34 percent contained and estimated at 2,700 acres. No homes were lost, and on Friday it continued to burn away from residences in a national forest and wilderness areas.

More than 700 firefighters were assigned to the fire, but about 100 were to be released on Friday with more to follow over the next few days.

"We're releasing people because everyone's winding down and the need for resources nationally is really up," Swinney said.

In Nevada alone, 22 major fires that continued to burn have consumed more than 450 square-miles, according to figures posted by the National Interagency Coordination Center.

Along the Idaho line, the tiny town of Jarbidge remained under evacuation orders out of fear the 125,000-acre Rowland fire that originated in Idaho could spill into the steep, narrow canyon.

About 40 people live in the remote town, which is nestled in a tight canyon and surrounded by steep, heavily timbered mountains.

There were 12 large fires burning in Elko county, the largest being the 60,000-acre Red House Complex west of Elko. The Hepworth Complex around Wells was estimated at 45,000-acres and 60 percent contained.

Another complex burning hear the Winecup Ranch north of Wells has burned about 37,000 acres and was 30 percent contained, according to the Elko Interagency Dispatch Center.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management on Thursday put Nevada on the top of its priority list. The federal designation brought in resources from neighboring states to assist firefighters, who acknowledged they were stretched thin by the blazes that stretch across most of the northern third of Nevada.

A top BLM official was scheduled to travel to Nevada on Friday to tour some of the burned areas.