U.S. Bureau of Land Management

The new lawsuit is targeted at the paused sales that should have taken place in the second and third quarters of 2021 and the third quarter of 2022.

Court records did not indicate the residences nor the ages of the defendants, nor did they indicate the location of the affected BLM land.

Gordon said, "Enacting a moratorium at a moment when coal is badly needed to ensure a secure and reliable energy supply is wrong-headed on many fronts."

Morris gave the land bureau up to a year to produce new resource management plans.

Brush trucks began suppression efforts on the wildland aspects of the incidences, and structure engines worked to extinguish the vehicle fire.

The single engine air tankers were able to slow the spread of the fire with air drops of retardant.

A previous government study noted that the project calls for exemptions to operate in sage grouse and raptor habitat.

The ruling marks the latest pushback against the administration’s practice of filling key positions without U.S. Senate approval.

Red flag weather conditions -- strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures -- are forecast for the rest of Friday.

The cause of the fire remains unknown.