Fires break out in Douglas County as thunderstorm cell passes through

9 p.m. updates: Forward progress on the Lebo Fire was stopped this evening at 6:45 p.m. Units from East Fork Fire returned from the fire as water tenders stayed on the scene to assist units from BLM and USFS with mop-up. The final size is estimated to be 27.5 acres.

Down at the fire near Holbrook Junction, crews were able to knock it down quickly and it never grew much beyond .25 acres. Some crews are staying on the scene for mop-up.

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Crews are reporting to calls of wildland fires in Douglas County this afternoon. The biggest appears to be what is being called the Lebo Fire which is burning in the Pinenut Mountains about 5-7 miles east of Johnson Lane in Minden. There are multiple aircraft responding along with other firefighting resources. As of 4:50 p.m., the fire is reported to be six acres and is burning in hills of sage, pinyon, and juniper.

Near the same time, there was another report of a fire that started in the Sleeping Elephant Hill area north of Topaz Lake. At last report, it is small and less than a quarter-acre.

Witnesses in the area say they saw lightning strikes at the same time the fires started as a weather system passed over the area.