wildland fire

UPDATE 10:30AM MONDAY: The Sierra Front Type 3 team battling the Pedlar Fire in Silver City took control of the fire at 11 p.m. Sunday night. As of 7:30 Monday morning the fire was 75 percent contained, according to the latest from Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch. Highway 341 from Highway 50 to the truck route "Y"was reopened. Highway 342 from the "Y' through Silver City to Virginia City will remain closed this morning.

Earth and science will be in the spotlight at Western Nevada College next week with two free lectures in Carson City that will feature discussions on global warming and the geologic history of Lake Tahoe. The events highlight a series of activities during Earth Week, April 22-27.

RENO, Nev. – Climate data from 13 geospatial monitoring stations across the Great Basin are being made available to researchers, educators and the public by a group of researchers from the Nevada System of Higher Education. They have developed the long-term climate monitoring network specifically designed to measure variations in climate change and are now working to broaden the network’s reach to include the all types of hazard monitoring in the region.

A discussion on global warming and ways that plants, wildlife and humans living in the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin will adapt to climate change will be the focus of a free April 23 forum at Western Nevada College in Carson City.

The members of the newly formed five-member Sagebrush Ecosystem Team, an interagency multidisciplinary entity, were announced recently.

Open backyard burning in the Carson City limits has been canceled because of dry fire conditions, fire officials announced Thursday.
The Carson City Fire Department typically allows open backyard burning in spring and fall, however, the persistent drought in the region has played a role in several significant "off-season" wildland fires in the region.

UPDATE 8PM: The U.S. Forest Service reports Friday night that the fire burning on the Douglas County side of Lake Tahoe on public land off of Elks Point Road has been contained at 2.6 acres. Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Forest Service, said local government resources assigned to the fire are being released. An engine will remain at the fire site overnight. The cause of the fire is under investigation. "We have no reports with lightning or problems with power lines. The fire is believed to be human caused," she said.

UPDATE 8:45AM: Highway 395 has reopened with controls (pilot vehicle) so expect delays and watch for fire vehicles, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.
The fire, which has burned more than 2,000 acres, is burning mostly upslope east of Highway 395 into predominately BLM public lands in the southern Pine Nut Mountains. There is a decreasing threat to approximately 30 homes west of the highway. If the fire were to jump the highway, however, this is looking less likely as fire personnel consolidate fire lines. No structures have been lost at this time. Power lines down at the fire scene, but they are deenergized, which is impacting some local rural residences. The fire is 5 percent contained. Full containment expected by Sept. 24. An aerial reconnaisance this morning will evaluate fire acreage and behavior. Nine airtankers are currently assigned to the incident, which includes four large airtankers and five single-engine airtankers (SEATs).
Structure protection is being handled by units of the East Fork Fire Protection District (Douglas County).
Incident Command Post is at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
One minor firefighter non-burn injury reported.

A small airplane crashed in the Barton Meadows area in South Lake Tahoe sparking a wildland fire on Saturday night. Presumably there are no survivors. The crash was reported at 9:48 p.m. after the plane took off from Lake Tahoe Airport, said El Dorado County Sheriff's Lt. Pete Van Arnum early Sunday morning. Witnesses reported the plane was experiencing engine trouble and was seen moving downward before it crashed into flames, he said.

Expected strong winds to arrive on Sunday has the U.S. Forest Service asking Lake Tahoe fire agencies to be on alert for forest fires in the basin.
The wind, combined with virtually no snow or rain since November, has already pushed the fire danger level back to high. The Forest Service urges the public to use caution with activities that could start a fire.

Carson City firefighters responded this afternoon to a wildland fire in an empty field near the 3000 block of South Carson Street south of Mill House. Initial attack of the fire at different flanks has the fire reportedly knocked down, but fire units continue to arrive and are staging at the Mill House parking lot. Windy conditions caused the fire to spread to about an acre in size. Mop up is happening now but firefighers on the scene are reporting that, because of the wind, the burn area needs a good dousing to stop stray embers from spreading. The area is dense with brush and tall grass.

Early morning lightning strikes may be responsible for a wildland fire that briefly closed Highway 50 on Thursday morning.Firefighters responded to the report of the blaze 11:10 a.m., finding a ...

Update 1:30 p.m.: Fire crews have contained a fire that broke out this morning near Old Clear Creek Road near the top of Spooner Summit, and Highway 50 has reopened.

The fire was last reported to be about 1.5 acres in size, and there was one home in the area that was threatened. Light winds and cool temperatures helped firefighters get a handle on the blaze, with a helicopter dumping water to help out the hand crews on the ground.

The fire is about a mile from the top of Spooner Summit, along the upper portion of Old Clear Creek Road. This road has been cut off to vehicle traffic for several years, and in places has disintegrated into little more than a path. The area is used by many hikers and mountain bikers, and some people have been known to camp in the area.

DAYTON - A wildland fire driven by high winds Tuesday destroyed a Dayton home and claimed the life of family pet, described as "the best dog we ever had.""The fire started in a backyard on Grosh...

The Carson City Board of Supervisors this week will consider whether to hire a special deputy district attorney to represent the public works department after a construction firm contracted to do $1.9 million in work has claimed overriding costs of $1.7 million.

By Sean Whaley / Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – The question of how well the Gibbons administration has done in quickly and efficiently deploying Nevada’s share of stimulus dollars is difficult to quantify.

CARSON CITY — An evacuation and sheltering exercise for the residents of the Old Clear Creek Road subdivision will be from noon to 4 p.m. on May 2, Carson City Fire Department officials announced today.

The evacuation drill in the southwest part of Carson City is being carried out in conjunction with Nevada’s 5th Annual Wildfire Awareness Week. The intention is to remind residents and homeowners that the area is within a wildland fire environment and therefore all are encouraged to protect their homes and community from embers that can attack dry brush and trees during a wildfire.