Little Valley Fire now 20 percent contained in Washoe Valley

UPDATE 7:30PM: Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch (SFIDC) reports evacuation orders for the Franktown Road area in Washoe Valley remain in place as firefighting crews continue working to contain the Little Valley Fire, which started a little before 2 a.m. Friday morning, destroying 22 homes and 17 other outbuildings on its way to consuming 3,400 acres in northwestern Washoe Valley.
As of Saturday evening, about 500 homes are still threatened by flames and mandatory evacuations for affected residents remain in place below the address of 6190 Franktown Road.
Franktown Road has been opened above the 6190 street address, the SFIDC reports.
The SFIDC estimates about 480 homes have been saved by firefighting crews since Friday.
Mother Nature has helped crews achieve 20 percent containment on the fire and prevent its further spread by dropping steady rain throughout the area on Friday and Saturday.
"The moisture we received over the last 48 hours was very helpful for firefighting efforts and keeping the fire within the incident objective perimeter," an SFIDC press release stated.
Fuji Park in Carson City continues to serve as an evacuation center for residents with livestock.
For evacuation and fire information, please call 775-782-1429.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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UPDATE 6:44PM: KRNV News 4 has tweeted that the SFIDC reports 20 percent containment on the Little Valley Fire. Rain moved into the area again this afternoon to assist firefighting efforts in containing the blaze.
No word yet on changes to evacuation status for residents.
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More than 3,400 acres and nearly 40 structures have been burned by the Little Valley Fire in northwestern Washoe Valley since around 2 a.m. Friday morning.

The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center (SFIDC) reports the flames have consumed an estimated 3,460 acres. Only about five percent containment has been achieved on the fire thus far.

The fire is still burning west of Franktown Road, according to the SFIDC, and continues to move north in the direction of Bowers Mansion and Joy Lake Road.

Old U.S. Highway 395A is now open, according to the SFIDC, by Franktown Road remains closed due to the fire.

Evacuations in west Washoe Valley have been downgraded to voluntary, except for the Franktown Road area, which is still under mandatory evacuation orders.

About 500 homes are still threatened, the SFIDC reports.

Twenty-two homes and 17 outbuildings have been burned so far by the Little Valley Fire.

The Sierra Front Type 3 Incident Management Team took over firefighting operations late Friday afternoon from the Unified Command led by the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) and was joined Saturday by an additional Type 1 Team.

There is a total of 855 firefighting personnel on scene, including 14 hand crews and 155 engines.

Current firefighting objectives for are to keep the fire north of Bellevue Road, south of Slide Mountain and Joy Lake Road, west of Eastlake and New Washoe City and east of the Lake Tahoe Basin, the SFIDC said.

Although yesterday's precipitation helped slow the spread of the flames, another large wind event is expected later Saturday afternoon, the SFIDC said, which may result in extreme fire behavior.

Fuji Park in Carson City continues to operate as an evacuation center for residents with livestock. Other evacuation sites include Depaoli Middle School, Hidden Valley Regional Park, Rancho San Rafael and the University of Nevada Reno Equestrian Center, all in Reno.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the SFIDC reports. However, TMFPD Chief Charlie Moore said Friday the prescribed burn conducted a week ago in the Little Valley could be to blame.