PRIMM, Nev. (KTNV) — Officials from Nevada and California are collaborating to combat and protect residents as the York Fire continues to blaze near the state line.
"There's a haze; you can't see ahead. You can't see the mountain," Lisa Calderwood said.
BREAKING STORY: Federal fire officials: York Fire started on private land in Mojave National Preserve
For nearly four days, smoke and haze have persisted, affecting residents and travelers near the Mojave National Preserve area in San Bernardino County.
"It's scary, fire takes over and you can't control it especially with high winds," Calderwood said. "People's lives are at stake, the people fighting the fire. It's a hazard; fire and wind don't mix."
LAS: Flights delayed in Las Vegas as York Fire smoke, thunderstorms move into area
On Monday, officials established a command post at Primm Valley Convention Center. Public Information Officer Marc Peebles with Interagency Incident Management says Sunday's monsoon winds slowed the fire.
"The fire is still at 77,000 acres as of this morning with zero percent contained, although we're hopeful that we're going to get some containment over the next several hours, tomorrow, and over the next couple of days," Peebles said.
MORE: Erratic winds challenge firefighters battling two major California blazes
Peebles says the exact location of the fire is about 10 to 15 miles from Searchlight in Creston Peak. 260 personnel fight the fire, operating on day and night shifts.
"This is a full suppression fire. The guys are going after it hard. With that, we're in the national preserve, so that's delegate land,” Peebles said. “It got a lot of cultural and environmental ecosystems, so we're being light with our tactics and not going in there with bulldozers and going crazy."
The Bureau of Land Management provided an update on the fire Monday night.
So far, 389 personnel have been assigned.
Firefighters said they observed less fire intensity and spread, which helps contain the fire and reduce the risk to property and lives.
"As weather conditions permit, an infrared mapping flight will take place in the early morning hours to obtain better map data for firefighting resources," officials said.
Firefighters are currently focusing on containment and suppression efforts. However, they are faced with low visibility causing hazardous conditions even for flight crews.
The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, San Bernardino Fire Protection District, and Clark County Fire are battling the fire.
Officials said HartMine Road from Walking Box Ranch to Ivanpah are closed.
