By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
A wildfire came dangerously close to engulfing a number of homes, livestock and barns in an Overton neighborhood on Friday, April 18. The fire started in the slough near White Domes Drive in Overton. It eventually consumed about six acres of brush in the open fields of the area.
A strong breeze blowing from the south kept the blaze moving north, fed by the dry willows, quailbush and mesquite that had grown up along the large drainage ditch. Fortunately, this moved the blaze generally away from the larger neighborhood which is just north of the North Shore Inn. However a couple of houses on the north side of White Domes Drive were in the path of slowly advancing flames.
A call went out to local volunteer fire stations at about 2:35 p.m. Firefighters from Overton, Logandale and Moapa responded. Later on, other firefighting units from around the region, also responded. These included Volunteers from Bunkerville, Clark County Engine #23 and a battalion chief from Las Vegas; as well as units from the BLM, the Forest Service and two units from the Beaver Dam Fire Department.
Some units were delayed in their response as a result of construction on the I-15 between Apex and Moapa, according to Clark County Fire Department officials.
Early firefighting efforts were focused on the north side of the blaze in attempts to stop the wildfire’s advance.
At one point the fire approached an area under some power lines. While it did not damage any of the poles or structures, the fire burned high underneath the lines. Witnesses at the scene said that the flames were reaching heights that exceeded the height of the power poles in the area.
According to Overton Power District General Manager Mendis Cooper, the heat of the fire burning directly under the powerline in one spot caused the line to short out. This caused an outage to all of the 4,500 some-odd households in Logandale and Overton, Cooper said.
The outage lasted about nine minutes, Cooper said. This was long enough for firefighters to bring down the blaze in that area. Once the fire was knocked back, the lines began working again and power was restored.
Cooper said that there was only minimal damage done to the equipment.
“There was some damage done to conductors in the area,” he said. “We already have plans for crews to go in and replace those next week. But in the meantime, things should be able to continue to function just fine.”
On the southern end of the fire, near the White Domes Drive homes, friends and neighbors worked together with a smaller force of firefighters as the flames advanced more slowly against the wind.
Overton residents who had heard about the blaze, brought their own water trucks to soak the brush surrounding the nearest homes. Local contractor L.J. McCormick responded with two water trucks and crews. Dan and Matt Hopkins brought another water truck. And Meadow Valley Construction, which is currently working on nearby the Cooper Street Bridge project, also responded with two water trucks.
These crews, along with a small group of volunteer firefighters, were successful in soaking the fuel around the homes to keep the fire from advancing. Firefighters also ventured out into the field with hoses trying to wet down areas that were further out.
Later on, an engine from Station 23 in Las Vegas arrived with a water cannon which was able to deliver water out into the slough where the fire was still burning. This stopped the blaze in that area.
The fire was declared “knocked down” at 5:39 p.m. Units remained on the scene well into the evening to extinguish hot spots and make sure that the fire was completely out.
There were no injuries or structure damage reported as a result of the fire. Clark County Investigators also responded and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
