Crews contain Reno, Nevada wildfire which destroyed 29 homes

2012-01-22 09:58:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

RENO, NEVADA (BNO NEWS) -- Firefighters on early Saturday morning contained a large wildfire in the U.S. state of Nevada, officials said. The blaze destroyed 29 homes and burned nearly 3,200 acres (1,300 hectares) in two days.

The fire broke out at around 1 p.m. local time on Thursday when an elderly man improperly discarded fireplace ashes at his home on the northern end of Washoe Valley, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of downtown Reno.

The fire, fueled by heavy fuels and high winds, forced the evacuation of more than 2,000 people in the old Washoe City area, Pleasant Valley, and Saint James Village areas. Washoe County Manager Katy Simon declared a state of emergency within hours, followed later that day by a state declaration of emergency by Governor Brian Sandoval.

Sierra Fire Protection District spokesman Mark Regan said the fire was 100 percent contained by 6 a.m. local time on Saturday. "All evacuations were lifted as of 8 a.m. this morning," he said. "The Sierra Front Incident Management Team will transition the Washoe Fire over to Reno Fire Department at 3:00pm today."

Nancy Leuenhagen, a spokeswoman for the Washoe County manager's office, said the wildfire had burned a total of 3,177 acres (1,285 hectares) and destroyed 29 homes. "The emergency boil water notice that was in effect for Sunrise Estates has been lifted," she said.

Earlier, emergency crews recovered the body of 93-year-old June Hargis, who had been warned about the fire but did not evacuate in time. She is believed to have died from smoke inhalation, but an autopsy is being conducted to officially determine whether she died as a result of the fire.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez earlier said that an elderly man had come forward and admitted to causing the fire when he threw out ashes in a utility trailer in the area. It was not immediately clear if the man, described as being 'extremely remorseful', would face criminal charges.

On Friday, local authorities already estimated that the response cost had reached more than $690,000. Officials expect the damages will reach millions of dollars once a full assessment has been carried out.

In November 2011, more than 30 homes were destroyed when a wildfire broke out near Reno, forcing nearly 10,000 people to evacuate the area. The fire burned some 2,000 acres (810 hectares) and injured one firefighter. One man died of a heart attack while evacuating.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-22

Wow..surprised to read about this on Thaivisa. It was just a few miles down the mountain from where I am now living. Drove through the middle of it the day before. Many firetrucks passing by that night. The strangest thing was it was raining and snowing here (in the mountains just above the fire) the day and night of the fire yet it was still 0% contained due to the wind.