Ely wildfire 60 percent contained
ELY, Nev. (AP) -- More than 350 firefighters are getting the upper hand on a wildfire that has charred nearly 20 square miles of rugged terrain in northeast Nevada near the Utah line.
A red flag warning was in effect Thursday due to high winds and continued dry conditions.
But fire officials say the North Schell fire, about 20 miles northeast of Ely, is now 60 percent contained.
That's allowed authorities to reopen State Route 893 after four days of closure. It's also helped push up estimated containment more than two weeks -- from July 20 to July 4.
What began as a Forest Service prescribed burn escaped June 9 and destroyed a mobile home.
The blaze now is burning mostly sagebrush and grasses but also white fir, pinion-pine and mountain mahogany.
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