11 new, small fires sparked near Lovell Canyon after lightning strikes Tuesday

As firefighters worked to put out the 445-acre Lovell Canyon fire in the mountains west of the Las Vegas valley Tuesday afternoon, 11 small, separate fires were sparked during a storm that showered the area in lightning strikes.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ray Johnson said the storm started about 4 p.m., adding that seven of the 11 new fires were within the Lovell Canyon area. Another was in Kyle Canyon, another was just below Angel Peak in Lucky Strike Canyon and a third was in Corn Creek, Johnson said.

“We started to have a fairly quick escalation from a very calm afternoon,” Johnson said of the lightning.

The fires were fairly minor, registering as less than a tenth of an acre, Johnson said. At least one involved a juniper tree on fire and another involved a single bush.

Firefighters worked to stamp out the small fires before they grew. As of Tuesday night, the 11 new fires were considered contained and controlled, Johnson said.

“It’s not frequent, but it’s not uncommon,” Johnson said of so many small fires starting during a lightning storm.

The new fires will be officially declared “out” in the next day or two, he said.

As of Tuesday night, the original Lovell Canyon fire was 95-percent contained.

Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290. Find @rachelacrosby on Twitter.