LAS VEGAS — A massive mountain wildfire that made Las Vegas smoky has destroyed six structures at a ranch and left two of the more than 1,000 firefighters with minor injuries, officials said Wednesday.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether any homes were destroyed on the ranch several miles from woodsy Mount Charleston hamlets where crews were protecting more than 400 homes, a canyon hotel and a scenic alpine lodge and cabins.
More than 270 additional firefighters arrived Tuesday to help battle the fire sparked by lightning July 1, bringing to 1,077 the number of people fighting the blaze about 25 miles northwest of downtown Las Vegas. One firefighter injured a knee Tuesday and, another suffered heat illness, U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Suzanne Shelp said.
The fire has grown about 9 square miles, and overall containment dropped from 15 percent to 10 percent as erratic gusts of wind pushed flames up canyons, down the mountain and across state Route 157.
With a visible pall over Las Vegas, building managers apologized to office workers about the smoky indoor smell, and Clark County officials issued an air quality alert.
