Shortly after 5 p.m. on July 6, firefighters from Mesquite, Bunkerville, Beaver Dam and the BLM responded to 450 Hafen Lane, at the Hafen Park Splash Pad where they found the brush behind it engulfed in flames.

Over 120 personnel from the four agencies fought the fire into the evening with temperatures peaking at 119 degrees at the time of the call, according to Mesquite Fire Rescue Captain John Gately.

“That reading was from the freeway about 10 minutes prior to the call,” he said. “It was scorching hot, and the fire only added to that.”

By 7 p.m. crews had reached a 75 percent containment level, with several hotspots igniting occasionally.

While crews from Beaver Dam, Bunkerville and Mesquite left the scene around 10:30 p.m. to BLM, the fight against the flames wasn’t over, as crews encountered a flare up around 4 a.m. Friday morning. It was quickly knocked down and put out. Throughout the day, BLM investigators and a mop-up crew of about 50 stayed on scene to make sure everything was taken care of.

While there weren’t any injuries sustained by fire crews, 16 firefighters went through rehab, to cool down and get their vitals checked, throughout the day. “One of them required an IV to get some fluids in, but nobody was transported to the hospital,” said Gately. “We are very lucky with this heat that it wasn’t worse.”

The fire reached a large size of 13.4 acres, something that is rare in Mesquite. Estimates of how much it cost the city has yet to be determined, but thanks to the personnel and resources available, no structures were lost, although the fire came within feet of several homes and structures.

Below are several photos of the fire throughout the evening and the morning after.