Incident commander Paul Summerfelt said that by Monday afternoon firefighters were moved to safety zones as the fire, fueled by the erratic winds and dry conditions, outflanked them.

"We just couldn't risk having our firefighters becoming entrapped," he said.

Air tankers and helicopters used to make aerial drops also were grounded.

"At one point pretty much everybody was off the line," Wilson said.

The fire burning near the tiny Nevada town of Jarbidge and Murphy Hot Springs in Idaho was sparked by lightning Aug. 8 in a wilderness area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

Fire officials let it burn unchecked for about two weeks until it began to creep outside the wilderness boundaries and encroach on the towns. It has burned about 60 square miles.

Tuesday's forecast called for lighter winds, though officials said the fire would remain active.

"The good thing that has happened ... the winds shifted and are now coming out of the northwest," Wilson said. "That means the fire is burning back into itself."

"We anticipate we could see some significant fire spread today, but it should be in the wilderness area," she said. "It reduces the threat to Murphy Hot Springs and isolated homes up there along the Idaho border."