Douglas County fire stopped north of Leahy Junction

Firefighters got a stubborn blaze stopped near Leahy Junction Tuesday after a day of fighting in the hot sun.

The fire reportedly started about 6:30 a.m. under a Douglas County PUD powerline, but the cause was not yet known, said Douglas County Fire District 3 Chief Cory Allman.

Allman said he wouldn't be surprised if it started a lot earlier; he lives just four miles down the road and it was already larger than he expected when he arrived.

Called the Nilles Fire for the corner of P and Road 27 NE near where it originated, the fire was burning on state land, Allman said. It was in difficult-to-reach rocky terrain in grass and sage, but near crops and massive power lines.

Firefighters and equipment were on the scene from several neighboring districts answering the mutual aid call, including Coulee Dam and Electric City.

About 40 acres of the 500-acre fire was land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which had crews on site also.

Ben Alling, of Coulee Dam, said a couple helicopters from the state Dept. of Natural Resources also worked the fire.