There's no question summer has officially begun here in the Mojave Desert, and for Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Service, that means more than long days of unrelenting heat.

It also means it's brush fire season, when dry weather combined with winds cause brittle desert brush to be ample fodder for dangerous fires that spread rapidly.

According to Fire Chief Scott Lewis, Pahrump firefighters were dispatched Sunday to a brush ire about a mile into the desert west of the intersection of Plantation Street and Thousandaire Boulevard.

Upon the first PVFRS engine's arrival it was established the fire was burning on Bureau of Land Management land and the BLM fire station was duly notified.

The Pahrump firefighters used two "brush trucks" (engines specifically designed to navigate desert terrain and fight brush fires) and a water tender to control the fire.

The BLM fire department soon arrived and firefighters from both departments successfully extinguished the fire and the BLM assumed command

"It was very rough terrain, but fortunately through our design process and our practice utilizing four-wheel vehicles, it wasn't too bad," Lewis said. "The crews did a really good job and worked with BLM."

Lewis said called the fire "pretty dramatic looking from the command post," saying the flames reached up to 10 feet.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Highs are expected to be in the 100-degree range now, so the likelihood of further such fires is up -- just like the temperatures.