Cottonwood Fire grows to over 2,800 acres

A wildfire was reported on Monday, July 20 in the Cottonwood Pass area south of state Route 160.

The Cottonwood fire, burning in grass, sage and brush, mixed with some pinyon and juniper, is estimated to be burning across 2,843 acres with 30% containment, the U.S. Forest Service said in a Tweet on Wednesday.

The fire was initially reported on Monday at 9 a.m. when it was estimated to be burning on 700-800 acres. The numbers were updated to over 2,700 acres on Tuesday due to more accurate mapping.

The fire grew to more than 2,800 acres overnight on Tuesday, but fire crews got more of a handle on the blaze on Wednesday.

“As the fire activity has moderated, the need for air operations has lessened,” the forest service said on Facebook on Wednesday.

The fire affected flight paths for McCarran international Airport as the blaze burned earlier this week. Those restrictions were lifted on Wednesday.

“The Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR, that is in place over the fire is no longer a concern affecting flight paths for the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas,” the forest service said on Facebook.

Early Wednesday, fire crews were busy building containment lines. At that time, the fire was only 5% contained.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, though lightning has recently been in the area. A Type 3 Interagency Incident Management Team has been ordered.

For more information on the Cottonwood Fire as it becomes available, please visit: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6871/

Contact Interim Editor Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com On Twitter @pvtimes