The Mahogany Fire was a

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

that burned on

Mount Charleston Mount Charleston, including Charleston Peak (Nuvagantu, literally "where snow sits", in Southern Paiute or Nüpakatütün in Shoshoni) at , is the highest mountain in both the Spring Mountains and Clark County, in Nevada, United States. It is ...

in the

Spring Mountains National Recreation Area The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) is a U.S. national recreation area, administered by the U.S. Forest Service, west of Las Vegas, Nevada. It covers over . The area runs from low meadows (around above sea level), to the Mount ...

, approximately 50 miles northwest of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

in the United States. The fire was first reported on June 28, 2020. The fire burned a total of and was contained on July 7, 2020. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire impacted recreational activities and roadways in the area, including closing a children's summer camp and evacuating Lee Canyon. Additionally, three state highways were closed in the area to allow ease of access for crews and to limit the public's access to the fire area.

Events

The Mahogany Fire was first reported on June 28, 2020, around 2:30 PM near the Mahogany Grove Campground on

in the

, approximately 50 miles northeast of

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Upon immediate investigation, incident crews reported it as being . The fire grew quickly, fueled by pinyon-juniper and brush, moving eastward and growing to an estimated . Spring Mountain Youth Camp was evacuated and by 7:15 PM mandatory evacuations were put in place for

Lee Canyon Lee Canyon is a canyon containing a small community and recreational area in the Spring Mountains located on in Clark County, Nevada, United States. Primary access is via Lee Canyon Road. Access to the adjacent Kyle Canyon and Mount Charleston, N ...

. S.R. 156, S.R. 157 and S.R. 158 were closed. An evacuation center was established by the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

at James H. Bilbray Elementary School in Las Vegas, however it closed by the afternoon of June 29. Power lines on Mount Charleston were de-energized by

NV Energy NV Energy is a public utility which generates, transmits and distributes electric service in northern and southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas Valley, and provides natural gas service in the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area of northern Nevada. ...

, impacting 450 customers. An air quality alert was issued for the

Las Vegas Valley The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the Southern Nevada, southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada, and the second largest in the Southwestern United States. The state's largest urban agglomeration, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Stat ...

. Air support was brought in to fight the fire the next day, June 29. Updated mapping led to the actual acreage to be . Due to the rapid growth of the fire, fire crews asked the public to avoid Lee Canyon and

Kyle Canyon The Spring Mountains are a mountain range of Southern Nevada in the United States, running generally northwest–southeast along the west side of Las Vegas and south to the border with California. Most land in the mountains is owned by the Uni ...

. While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, the United States Forest Service shared that it was likely human caused. Mapping was once more updated and as of the morning of June 30, 2020, the footprint of the Mahogany Fire was lowered to . Highway 156 and 157 were re-opened.

July

On July 2, Highway 156 was closed at the intersection of Highway 158 to allow crews to cut hazardous trees and helicopters to work in the area. Helicopters sourced water from the Lee Canyon resort. Crews continued clean up work, including mopping up hot spots and completing handlines. Starting the week of July 6, Spring Mountain Youth Camp was reopened. Highway 156 beyond the Highway 158 interchange reopened on July 7. The fire was contained on July 7. It burned a total of .

Impact

The Mahogany Fire impacted recreational activities in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area. Spring Mountain Youth Camp was the first site evacuated, reopening for re-population on July 6. The fire caused the evacuation of

, a ski resort. People were allowed to return to Lee Canyon in the evening. However, fire officials asked members of the public to avoid Lee Canyon and Kyle Canyon during the duration of the fire. Highway 156, Highway 157 and Highway 158, were closed on June 29. Highway 156 & 157 re-opened the following day. However, Highway 156 was closed again to allow crews to safely work in the area, reopening July 7. Power was turned off for 450 residents in the area from June 28 through June 29. Air quality was negatively affected in the

Investigation

While the cause of the Mahogany Fire remains under investigation, the fire was human caused.

Gallery

2020 07 01-15.23.51.752-CDT.jpg, Helicopter dropping water near Angel Peak on July 1 2020 07 01-13.23.21.769-CDT.jpg, Hot shot trucks on July 1 2020 06 29-18.21.25.875-CDT.jpg, Fire on June 29 Mahogany Fire - 2020 06 29-11.10.28.274-CDT.jpg, Fire on June 28 Mahogany Fire - 7.1.2020.jpg, Fire retardant lines protecting power lines near Angel Mountain on July 1

References