Fire burning in Pine Nut Mountains

A brush fire east of Johnson Lane in the Pine Nut Mountains grew to 1,000 acres after winds from a thunderstorm drove the fire in all directions.

More than 150 firefighters are battling the Spring fire burning pinon and juniper in steep, rocky terrain. Four air tankers, three helicopters, two bull dozers, nine engines and five hand crews were working to stop the fire from spreading.

Meanwhile, not far from the fire, thunderstorms dumped nearly 2 inches of rain near Mt. Como and Mineral Peak. Runoff from the storm is expected to reach upper levels of Johnson Lane. A flashflood warning is in effect until 7:30 p.m.

While structures are in the area of the fire, no evacuations have been sought.

In addition to the BLM, East Fork Fire District, Nevada Division of Forestry and U.S. Forest Service firefighters are battling the blaze.

A red flag warning is in effect until 5 a.m. Monday for thunderstorms and strong outflow winds, according to the National Weather Service. Fast storms will create isolated to scattered dry thunderstorms. The storms started south of Highway 50, but are expected to spread further north tonight. Lightning may start new fires which will grow quickly due to strong outflow winds.