BUNKERVILLE, Nev. (AP) -- A wildfire in the Virgin Mountains of southern Nevada jumped fire lines and spread east into Arizona, consuming abandoned corrals and scorching about 12.5 square miles of range land, federal officials said Monday.
No homes or structures were immediately threatened by the Nickel fire, and no injuries were reported, federal U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Robbie McAboy said.
Five helicopters and 375 firefighters from federal, state and county agencies were trying to contain the more than 8,000-acre wildfire in rugged pinon and juniper pine forests about 12 miles south of Mesquite. A command post was set up Monday at Bowler Elementary School in Bunkerville.
McAboy said the fire was about 20 percent contained.
A large wilderness area bound by Mesquite and Interstate 15, the Virgin River, Lake Mead and the Arizona border was closed to off-road and recreational uses due to the firefighting operation, McAboy said. The area includes the Virgin Mountain Natural Area and Virgin River Recreation Lands northeast of Las Vegas.
Weekend winds pushed flames past fire breaks that crews dug last week around more than one-third of the fire. It was sparked by lightning late Wednesday.
