‘Dynamic’ Cottonwood Peak Fire continues to burn in Northern Nevada

A large fire “exhibiting extreme behavior” continued to burn thousands of acres of brush and grass Sunday in northern Nevada, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Dubbed the Cottonwood Peak Fire, the blaze burned about 28,000 acres in an area near Tuscarora, according to a Sunday evening news release from the BLM. Tuscarora, in Elko County, is about 55 miles northwest of Elko.

As of about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, the fire was only 10 percent contained. First reported Friday, the fire has been aided by high winds in the area over the weekend, according to the release.

Likely caused by lightning, officials said, the fire burned over 15,000 acres within an eight-hour period after being reported.

Firefighters from various agencies Sunday continued to battle the fire with the help of helicopters, air tankers and single-engine scooper aircraft.

One of the top priorities for firefighters, the release said, is to protect the Ormat Geothermal Power Plant, which is in the area of the fire. Firefighters were also working to protect a number of ranches along Highway 226 near Tuscarora.

BLM officials said in the release that “fire spread is expected to remain dynamic” into Monday and beyond. Leading up to about 6 a.m. on Monday morning, officials expected the fire to grow by about 2,000 acres.

The fire was expected to continue moving north from Tuscarora toward the Long Hollow ravine, officials said.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X. Contact Arlette Yousif at ayousif@reviewjournal.com and follow her on Instagram at @arletteyousif.