Mt. Charleston (NV) fire

[kingsnake]

Mt. Charleston is is a hiking/skiing area just northwest of Las Vegas. (As if the San Francisco peaks were at South Mountain ...)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... fires.html

Carpenter 1 Fire Perimeter Map

[big_load]

Mt. Charleston is a great escape for the Las Vegas heat. I once took a nap on the summit at 76 degrees before returning to the 106F desert floor.

[kingsnake]

It's a cool place in both senses of the word ...

[PatrickL]

Fire season makes me wonder which places on my to-visit list are going to burn... This is one of them.

[autumnstars]

South Loop trail area has burned almost completely between Griffith Peak and Mt Charleston.
The fire is now well over 19,000 acres and only 15% contained.
There are 19 hotshot crews and more than 800 people fighting the fire right now.
The valley is filled with smoke.

All roads up toward the Spring Mountains are currently closed.

[big_load]

South Loop trail area has burned almost completely between Griffith Peak and Mt Charleston.

That was a nice trail. I hope it will be again someday.

[Grasshopper]

A number of our HAZers have hiked to Charleston Peak summit at ~11,913ft.. http://hikearizona.com/dexcoder.php?PID=1255838

[autumnstars]

Containment is now down to 10% thanks to windy, dry conditions today.
The fire has jumped one of the roads the firefighters were using as a firebreak

[kingsnake]

Hey Sara, any word if it was lightning or moron-caused?

[LittleKnee]

Here is what it looked like from my neighborhood in Henderson tonight...

[autumnstars]

Hey Sara, any word if it was lightning or moron-caused?

Lightning.
The Carpenter 1 Fire started on the Pahrump side of the Spring Mountains on July 1st. The fire spread due to dry, windy conditions and crested over to the Kyle and Lee Canyon side of the range on July 4th. That's the side where most of the trails and visitors are. Everyone was evacuated at that point, including all hikers - there were lots of folks up there with family for a long holiday weekend.

[azbackpackr]

One more place I haven't seen yet, getting all burnt up. Sheesh.

[autumnstars]

All hiking trail and roads in the Spring Mountains continue to be closed.
The BLM has now closed all hiking trails (but not the road) in Red Rocks Canyon NCA.

The Carpenter I fire has now increased at almost 28,000 acres, but 43% contained. Thanks to yesterday's lower temps, high humidity, and rain in the Spring Mtns.
There is another chance of rain today, so we all have our fingers crossed...

[SgtLumpy]

Charleston is the site of a famous C4 crash in the 50s. Aviation archeologists still go up there and find plane crash debris.


Sgt Lumpy

[autumnstars]

70% contained as of this morning and some residents on the Pahrump side have been able to return home.
Things are looking up!

[autumnstars]

As of today, several of the trails at Mt Charleston have been re-opened.
Still can't go up to the peak yet - all those trails are still closed.

[kingsnake]

I read on wildfiretoday.com , that most of the crews have been pulled off, so sounds like things are at least under control ...

[autumnstars]

@kingsnake
Mostly mop-up is all that's left at this point. The fire is listed as 95% contained as of this morning.
Unfortunately, we had pretty severe thunderstorms tonight, and more predicted for this weekend. Flash flooding - bad, bad news for recently denuded steep slopes.