Overnight conditions favorable for progress on Voltaire Canyon fire in south Carson City
Firefighters were experiencing improved wind and weather conditions early Wednesday in the Voltaire Canyon area of south Carson City where a wildland fire, believed to have started by campers, erupted Tuesday night.
Winds calmed considerably after midnight Wednesday, slowing the rate of speed of the fire, which is burning on mostly U.S. Forest Service land in a mixture of both new grass around the scar area of last August’s Voltaire Canyon Fire and in heavier fuels that had not burned, said Carson City Fire Department Chief Sean Slamon.
As of early morning there were not any structures reported damaged.
“It is doing what was predicted, hitting the burn scar and green areas, which has slowed the rate of spread,” said Slamon. “With the winds having died down significantly, it has turned in our favor.”
While conditions were calm in the city at the time the fire erupted, the canyon was experiencing gusty winds, which fueled it from the start, said Chief Slamon. The fire, which started around around 3/4 of a mile in the canyon, also broke out at a time where aircraft are grounded for safety reasons because of fading daylight.
Voluntary evacuations remain in place overnight in the Carson Colony tribal area off of South Curry Street and in the Voltaire Canyon area. The Carson Colony has established a shelter inside a gymnasium in the 2800 block of South Curry Street.
As of 1 a.m. a containment figure and number of acres burned were unavailable. By daylight, fire crews should be able to establish how big the fire is and how much area is left to fight, said Slamon. This would set up conditions for at least two days or more of mopping up the fire’s hotspots.
The fire is believe to have started by campers who were attempting to burn excrement and toilet paper, according to Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong. The campers were detained and admitted to starting the fire. It will be up to the U.S. Forest Service to determine if the campers will be prosecuted, the sheriff said.
At least 150 firefighters from throughout Northern Nevada were working on the fire overnight, including Carson City Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service, Nevada Department of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Truckee Meadows, Sparks and Reno Fire, East Fork, Tahoe Douglas, North Lake Tahoe, Storey and Lyon County. At around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday a firefighter reportedly suffered an injury to his ribs, according to dispatch.
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