Waterfall Fire

For nearly three and a half decades Curtis Horton made Carson City Public Works his life’s purpose. Over the course of these 35 years Horton witnessed Public Works drastically transform, grow, improve, and services expanded.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to a citywide declaration of emergency during the board meeting held Thursday afternoon.

Fire season is upon us, and while the high temperatures may have come a little late this year, the wet winter and cool temperatures also created a perfect growing situation for fast acting fuels such as cheat grass.

Last year, our community watched with sadness and horror at the Camp Fire and Butte Fire that destroyed our western neighbor communities in California. Those fires, it has now been revealed, were caused by PG&E power lines combined with quick acting, dry fuels.

The question we've wondered is "can this tragedy happen here?" Especially after last fire season, with a number of local fires being related in some way to NV Energy power lines.

Come celebrate Carson City’s trails on National Trails Day, Saturday, June 1 at 8 a.m. Carson City will be hosting an event on one of our most recent Open Space acquisitions, 206 acres near Ash Canyon.

Mayor Bob Crowell will say a few words about Carson City’s Open Space program and will be joined by members of the Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department, the Nevada Land Trust and Muscle Powered.

Our favorite sheep friends are working hard to reduce cheatgrass for fire season, and while people are permitted to go and coo over how adorable they are, multiple people have been also bringing their furry friends without leashing them, which scares the sheep and makes it difficult to perform their important work.

Trash Mobs are a grassroots community effort coordinated by Muscle Powered volunteers to keep the walkways and bike paths around Carson City free of litter.

The monthly, one-hour events take place at various locations around town that are in need of cleaning. Volunteers, who are supplied with work gloves and trash bags by Muscle Powered staff, remove litter from areas often used by citizens for recreational purposes such as walking, jogging or cycling.

Good luck, Carson City. The options for this weekend are endless, but you can’t be everywhere at once. CASI’s annual Pooch Plunge at the Carson Aquatic Center is always a fun time for your furry friends. Red’s Old 395 welcomes back the THiNK PiNK kick-off to breast cancer awareness month. Downtown you’ll find the wine walk, a rummage sale at the Veterans Memorial Hall, and the Fall Vintage Market at Due Sorella. Toast the season at Fandango: Oktoberfest has returned. Keep reading and be prepared to make some hard choices.

SATURDAY:

The Waterfall Fire of 2004 was one of the worst fires in recent history to devastate the Eastern Sierra foothills near Carson City. After it was all said and done, over 8,700 acres and 18 homes were destroyed. As a part of the recovery process plastic tree protectors were put in place to help the seedlings that were planted.

The Nevada state capital has seen its share of natural disasters and citywide emergencies.

From wildfires to flooding and all-too-common high wind events, Carson City Manager Nick Marano says local government is ready to respond at a moment's notice.

"The city has an emergency operations plan," Marano said. "We've gone through several rounds of modifications to it."

There is an emergency operations center, he said, that enhances communication between public safety and public works departments during local emergencies.

In a training exercise Wednesday, seasonal firefighters joined with recruits and veteran firefighters from the Carson City Fire Department to practice extinguishing wildfire and discouraging its spread.

“By training, we can hone our skills. We work together more efficiently,” said Rodd Rummel, wildland fuels management officer. “Even for seasoned veterans, training is always key to efficient and effective work.”
Crews spent the day at a north Carson home practicing different maneuvers, such as creating defensible space, thinning brush and extending the fire hose.

Eleven years ago on this day, the 8,700 acre Waterfall Fire near Carson City started from an abandoned campfire on July 14, 2004; it was fully contained on July 20, 2004 after destroying 18 homes.

Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi was honored this morning by the Carson City Board of Supervisors for 31 years of service. Giomi announced his retirement in December and this week it was announced that Battalion Chief Robert S. Schreihans will replace Giomi.

“You’ve been a part of this community so many years keeping us safe. I particularly remember when we had the Waterfall Fire. It could have been tremendously damaging, and it was, but it could have been worse," said Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell.

Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi announced that he'll retire in early February of 2015, said Carson City Manager Nick Marano. Giomi is only the fourth paid fire chief in the city's history. He was hired Nov. 23, 1983 and became chief in 2005. He has been with the fire department for 31 years.

Giomi has accepted a position with Nevada Health Centers as their Director of Facilities and Emergency Preparedness. Nevada Health Centers is a federally qualified health center in Nevada and the largest primary care provider for the underserved and/or geographically isolated in the State.

UPDATE 3 AM: Evacuation orders were instructed for Golf Club Drive, Jeffery Pine Lane to Old Clear Creek Road. There are about 20 to 30 homes in the area. Evacuees are urged to go to the Carson City Community Center. Animals can be sent to Fuji Park. The orders came down at around 1:45 a.m.

****

Ten years ago today, July 14, 2004, one of the worst wildfires in Carson City’s recent memory began. A rogue campfire in the hills above the Kings Canyon waterfall sparked a blaze that swept through the mountains west of town. Go here for the full story.

The bleating of sheep while they’re feeding on cheat grass in western Carson City should be a comforting sound for those who remember the roar of the 2004 Waterfall fire.