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A wildfire raging in Mount Charleston, Nevada, has sent up a large plume of smoke visible from nearby Las Vegas.

The fire started as a 10-acre (four hectares; 0.04 sq km) brush fire on Sunday afternoon.

By the early evening local parks officials said it had engulfed about 5,000 acres (20 sq km).

Ray Johnson, US Forest Service fire prevention officer, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the wind was too strong for firefighters to work safely.

Crews hope the winds will drop off on Monday so they can travel to the area.

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The American Red Cross of Nevada has opened an evacuation centre in a local primary school for residents of Mount Charleston.

It is not known what caused the fire.

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