Firefighter suffers minor injuries battling wildfire near Elko

ELKO — Officials say a firefighter was injured battling a lightning-sparked wildfire that jumped a highway as it charred rangeland in northeastern Nevada.

Fire managers reported the firefighter’s burns were minor. They blamed hot, dry afternoon winds for pushing the fire across state Route 225 on Wednesday south of Mountain City.

The blaze dubbed the South Sugarloaf Fire started Friday and threatened several ranches as it spread across more than 122 square miles of grass and brush in northern Elko County.

Fire officials say it is 20 percent contained, and the Elko Daily Free Press reports the number of personnel fighting the fire has increased to 430.

Firefighters reported that heavy smoke has limited the use of aircraft.

Two volunteer firefighters from Nevada were seriously burned on Saturday as they fought the Sheep Creek fire near Battle Mountain, which was caused by a helicopter crash.