Wildfire burning near Mount Charleston grows overnight to 27 acres

Hiking trails remained closed Sunday as the wildfire burning near Big Falls in Mount Charleston’s Kyle Canyon grew overnight Saturday from 25 acres to 27, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ray Johnson said.

Johnson attributes the recent growth of the fire, which began at about 2 p.m. Friday, to strong winds that he expects to continue until Wednesday. Winds overnight reached 60 mph, he said, making it difficult for responders to control the flames.

The U.S. Forest Service has connected a mile-long hoseway to pump water into the fire, Johnson said. This, he said, is a long way to pump water uphill but would be necessary.

Johnson said he couldn’t estimate when responders might be able to extinguish the fire because winds are too strong and unpredictable. As of 7 p.m. Sunday the fire was 35 percent contained, Johnson said.

“They made very good progress today,” he said.

The Big Falls and Mary Jane Falls hiking trails will remain closed to the public for the next few days, Johnson said, because firefighters are using them to access the fire.

Contact Rachel Hershkovitz at rhershkovitz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @rzhershkovitz on Twitter.