Why Will Lake Mead Be On Fire Next Week?
They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. That will be the case at Lake Mead National Recreation Area next week as the National Park Service does some burning now to avoid uncontrolled burning tomorrow.
NPS is doing what they describe as a “prescribed burn” to cut down on “hazardous fuel” beginning on Tuesday, January 17th. The fuel in question? Dry vegetation. The water-starved plants serve as tinder to a wildfire and can make a relatively small fire rage out of control. The park service will do these controlled burns to “spend” the fuel so it can’t be “spent” later by a wildfire.
There are two prescribed burns planned for next week, and chances are if you’re around Lake Mead, you’re going to see them.
Where are the burns taking place?
Hemenway Campground will serve as the site for the first burn on Tuesday, January 17th. This is right near the State Route 93 entrance to Lake Mead, and will be seen from Lake Las Vegas to Boulder City and the surrounding areas. 7 acres worth of dry vegetation will go up in smoke.
Rogers Spring will be the second prescribed burn site and will have the Rogers Spring Parking Area closed from Wednesday, January 18th to Thursday, January 19th. The National Park Service will set ablaze another 3 acres worth of dry tinder. Visitors on Northshore Road towards the north end of the park (by Valley Of Fire State Park) will be able to see the smoke.
While you may see smoke, fire and even firefighters in the area, know that it’s all going according to plan. Therefore, a little work happening today could potentially save a much larger issue in the summer to come.
