Thursday update: Second firefighter hurt

The Bison fire was reduced to about 25,000 acres Wednesday night, and it was 80 percent contained. It was still dangerous enough to injure a second firefighter Thursday morning.

East Fork medics responded to pick up the injured firefighter in the Pine Nut Mountains. No other information about the injuries was available.

Fire officials reported making progress in fighting the fire and planned to continue to work on hot spots. Nearly 1,000 firefighters were working to stop the blaze, which burned a 12-mile stretch of the Pine Nut Mountains southeast of Carson City. The fire, started by a lightning strike on Independence Day, is reported to be the largest in western Nevada’s recorded history.

As firefighters get a line around the rest of the fire, many will be released to deal with other wildfires around the West.

When the Bison fire was at its largest, 35 hand crews, 33 engines, eight water tenders, four bulldozers were involved in the fight on the ground, while nine air tankers and 13 helicopters fought it from the air. The price tag for fighting the fire is up to $5.33 million, mostly due to the cost of flying the aircraft.

Residents were under voluntary evacuation orders on either side of the Pine Nuts — first those in 20 homes in the Pine Nut Creek area during the first days of the fire, and then those in 78 homes near Artesia Lake in Smith Valley on Tuesday.