CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) -- Nevada is primed for a busy fire season, state officials said Thursday.
The Nevada Fire Board of Directors, a group of fire management officials from various agencies, briefed Gov. Kenny Guinn on the status of fires already raging throughout the state and said the ''stage was set'' for more.
''The public has to be very cognizant this summer about any and all activities,'' State Forester Peter Anderson said. ''Truly, the simplest things, a ricocheting bullet, can start a fire and already has across the state.''
More than 120 fires and nearly 48,000 acres have burned this year. That's fewer fires spreading faster and doing more damage than usual. At the same time last year, 154 fires had burned only 9,750 acres.
Kevin Hull, a state fire officer for the Bureau of Land Management, said about 32 fires were burning throughout Nevada.
Only one, the Goodsprings fire south of Las Vegas, posed a threat to homes or buildings as of Thursday afternoon, Hull said. A Boy Scout camp near the blaze was evacuated.
A wet winter and spring are partially to blame for the ripe conditions. Extra moisture means more grass and brush growth _ and more vegetation to dry out and become tinder for fires by late July.
Add the dry summer predicted by the National Weather Service, and there are high-risk conditions in nearly every pocket of Nevada, said Mike Dondero, a fire management officer with the Nevada Division of Forestry.
''This is basically the whole state, outside the high mountain ranges,'' he said.
A heavy growth of extremely flammable cheatgrass also poses a serious threat. In Winnemucca, normal grass coverage is usually measured at 200 to 400 pounds per acre. Current conditions are closer to 1.5 tons per acre of the dry grass.
Similar conditions exist in the Carson City area and the south.
''Any ignition is going to start this on fire,'' Dondero said. ''Whether it's a spark or somebody driving off the road. People have to stay on the roadways ... or southern Nevada's going to have a real big problem.''
Residents can help prevent fires by clearing dead brush and grass on their property, staying on designated roads and obeying fire regulations, Dondero said.
Officials also said they might impose campfire restrictions over the Fourth of July weekend.
At this point, there is little competition for federal firefighting resources from other neighboring states, Hull told Guinn.
''Right now, the availability of resources is very good,'' he said, adding that could change as fire season picks up in other states.
