Federal fire officials: York Fire started on private land in Mojave National Preserve

UPDATE - 7/31/23, 9 a.m.

Federal fire officials are continuing to track and investigate the York Fire.

On Monday, they said the fire started on private land that is within the Mojave National Preserve.

According to fire officials, there was minimum activity last night along with some rain, which means the fire didn't spread as much overnight. They added thick smoke is limiting firefighters' visibility up to a mile or even less in some areas. That can delay firefighting operations because it affects aerial support, ground crews' movements, and communications between units.

The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, San Bernadino Fire Protection District, and Clark County Fire are all on the scene.

Fire officials said the following road and area closures are in place:

• Ivanpah, Hart Mine Road, and Walking Box Ranch Roads are closed in the Mojave and Castle Mountains.
• Hole in the Wall, MidHills, and Black Canyon Group Campgrounds are closed until further notice.

Fire officials were originally warning people to stay away from SR164 - Nipton Road. However, last night, the agency tweeted it had reopened.

As far as air quality, Clark County Fire officials said smoke from the fire is only pushing particulate matter into the moderate range and under current conditions, they're forecasting the air quality to stay in that range.

ORIGINAL STORY

A wildfire burning in the Mojave National Preserve has crossed into Nevada, according to a wildfire tracker Sunday afternoon.

The fire caused traffic delays and filled the Las Vegas sky with smoke on Saturday.

According to the National Weather Service Las Vegas, the fire — dubbed "The York Fire" — has burned about 70,000 acres and is moving in a northern direction, according to InciWeb, a wildfire tracker from the United States Forest Service.

"Clark County Fire Department is stationing a mobile command near state line, is providing resources to combat the fire, and is preparing to go on the offensive to protect residential areas, including Nipton and Searchlight, if needed," CCFD officials said.

Clark County officials said there are no plans to issue evacuation orders for residential areas including Nipton and Searchlight as the fire still has distance from these areas.

The fire is also currently at 0 percent containment, though no closures or evacuations have been reported yet.

"The Fire management team is employing a well-coordinated approach to combat the fire in brush and timber," Forest Service officials said in a statement. However, NWS officials say the fire will "likely continue sending smoke into the area through Sunday."

Earlier Saturday morning, a brush fire also temporarily shut down traffic headed across the Nevada-California state line due to poor visibility from the smoke. The traffic was later reopened to two travel lanes, which also caused major delays.

The National Weather Service for Las Vegas said air quality for the valley is "unhealthy."

The Clark County Fire Department is advising people to avoid State Route 164. RTC also said that Nipton Road is closed in both directions from US 95 to I-15.

The Clark County Fire Department said the fire is a fluid situation and updates will be provided accordingly. KTNV will update this story as information becomes available.