LAS VEGAS - Southern Nevada's first major wildfire of the season is contained after charring 2,000 acres northeast of Pahrump.
U.S. Forest Service officials declared the fire fully contained at 6 p.m. Friday.
The blaze was sparked by the delayed effects of a lightning strike May 25 that caused the roots of a tree to smolder for more than a week.
The fire was first reported June 3.
Incident commander Tooter Burdick, from the Bureau of Land Management's Ely field office, said all but 40 of the more than 500 fighters from eight Western states who responded to the blaze were returning to their home bases. The air effort has also been scaled back with one attack plane and a medium helicopter remaining on site.
He set the cost of fighting the fire at $1.4 million.
Although the fire is fully contained, it won't be declared totally out for ''five or six days,'' he said, until mop up is finished and all the smoke is gone.
