A fast-moving brush fire tore through the desert between Wilson Road and Basin Avenue in Pahrump on Wednesday afternoon, believed to have started near the old Binion property before high winds pushed it north through dry brush. The blaze prompted crews to shut down Basin Avenue in both directions between Boot Hill Road and Dallia Street while firefighters worked to keep it from spreading further.
Nye County dispatch received the initial report of the fire just before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to KSNV. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene as the fire, fueled by gusty conditions and dry brush, spread northward through the desert. An initial report suggested the fire had burned roughly 50 acres, but that figure was not confirmed, per the same station's account.
Road Closures and Ongoing Investigation
The road closures affecting Basin Avenue were put in place as crews responded to the blaze, cutting off the stretch between Boot Hill Road and Dallia Street in both directions. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no additional details on containment or the extent of the burned area have been confirmed beyond the unverified initial acreage estimate.
The area around the old Binion property has seen fire trouble before. In September 2019, a suspicious fire destroyed at least two structures on the historic Binion Ranch, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Crews were dispatched to 700 East Wilson Road just before 2 a.m. that night and found a large fire involving what had once been a sprawling horse stable, prompting an all-hands response due to the fire's size and the number of exposures on the property.
Conflicting Accounts of the 2019 Blaze
Accounts of how quickly that 2019 fire was brought under control differ. KTNV reported the fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes, while the Review-Journal reported that the stables were controlled within an hour of crews arriving, with one portion of another building controlled in about 25 minutes. The Binion Ranch property spans 130 acres, though a separate report from the Pahrump Valley Times put the property's size at 130 acres.
The Binion property has drawn fire crews on other occasions as well. A later structure fire fully engulfed a multi-use building on the property that was used mostly for storage, according to the Pahrump Valley Times. Separately, a fast-spreading fire along West Basin Avenue destroyed a home, garage and vehicle, the outlet reported; three adults and one child escaped that fire unharmed, though several family pets did not survive, and an initial investigation pointed to welding in a garage as the likely accidental cause.
Fire Danger Remains a Concern in Pahrump
Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue has flagged the risk of open burning during the dry season, noting that a burn moratorium took effect in the community in May 2026 and was set to remain in place until late fall, according to a notice posted by the Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue department. Wednesday's fire adds to a pattern of blazes reported at or near the old Binion property over the years, though the exact relationship between this latest fire and the historic ranch site has not been detailed beyond investigators' belief that it started nearby.
