Winters Fire goes supernova

Friday, July 28, 2006 5:56 PM PDT

ELKO — The Winters Fire, which is threatening the town of Midas, has grown from 19,000 acres to 106,224 acres in 24 hours.

The fire is five miles north of Midas and 20 miles west-northwest of Tuscarora although the towns are not under immediate threat at this time.

Lightning started the fire Tuesday.

The fire started in a Wilderness Study Area in the Snowstorm Mountains and has moved to the east over the past two days.

If conditions permit, firefighters will perform a burnout north of Midas today to secure the heel of the fire at that point. This fire is on the BLM Elko District, but is being dispatched by the Central Nevada Interagency Dispatch Center in Winnemucca and being managed by the Winnemucca Field Office. An information number has been set up for the Winters Fire at 775-623-1768.

Look for more information on the Winters Fire and the Basco and Taylor fires in Saturday’s Elko Daily Free Press.