Firefighters gaining ground in northern Nevada

RENO - Fire crews are finally winning the week-long war against wildland fires across northern Nevada, where flames have blackened more than 300,000 acres.

A rare cooperative effort among ranchers, miners and government agencies helped surround the huge Buffalo complex 45 miles north of Battle Mountain, which threatened the historic mining community of Midas.

The Buffalo fire just north of town was stopped at 20,000 acres while the Hot Lakes fire south of Midas was 70 percent contained on Friday at 78,000 acres.

''I think the threat to Midas is gone,'' said fire information officer Ben Hammack.

It was the largest fire still burning of scores ignited last week by a series of dry thunderstorms that crossed the northern part of the state.

Another complex 25 miles north of Carlin was contained on Friday. The Sheep fire blackened 82,000 acres and the nearby Coyote fire burned 11,675 acres. Most of the 625 firefighters were being sent home for some rest or deployed to other fires.

Despite an army of 2,200 firefighters waging war day and night across 302,160 acres of flames and ashes, only minor injuries have been reported. No houses have been lost.

Of the other active fires on Friday, the Clear Creek complex of three fires 11 miles north of Winnemucca was 50 percent contained at 53,218 acres and the Spaulding fire 25 miles north of Winnemucca was 70 percent contained at 57,267 acres.

In a week and a half, Nevada's total burned area has more than tripled to 507,751 acres, pushing it close to last year's 700,000-acre total.

National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov