HOMES BURN AS BLAZE HITS PART OF RENO
A fast-moving wildfire driven by strong winds destroyed several homes in a Reno neighborhood Tuesday and forced the evacuation of hundreds more on the edge of the Sierra Nevada foothills, one of several blazes burning near the Nevada-California border.
As many as 500 homes were threatened by the blaze that grew to more than two square miles within hours of igniting in brush above the neighborhood, Reno Fire Chief David Cochran said. He said “multiple” homes had been lost, but he didn’t know how many.
“Even though there was literally snow on the ground in some areas, a wind-driven fire like that is almost impossible to stop,” Cochran said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. Winds gusting over 50 mph drove the flames but later subsided and rain was in the forecast Tuesday night.
Cochran said teams were responding from fire departments in Reno and California to help battle the blaze through the night.
“This is an extremely dynamic situation,” he said. “Precipitation is expected, but we’re not relying on that. We are working to protect homes to the extent that we can.”
Anita Noble of Reno was spraying down a hillside with a garden hose near her daughter’s home, telling KOLO-TV that she “could have been the one to save my daughter’s house and the neighbor’s house.”
“We were about ready to leave, and I saw a bunch of smoke, and my daughter said it was coming from up in the canyon, and it wasn’t, it was right below the ravine,” Noble said. “And it was within 10 yards from her property line, so I got the hose and I started spraying. And it helped.”