E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSMore than two dozen homes burned in the blaze before firefighters brought it under control. NBC's Miguel Almaguer reports.
Updated at 8:45 p.m. ET:
RENO, Nev. -- Reno authorities say an elderly man has admitted to improperly disposing fireplace ashes, a potential cause of the Washoe Drive Fire that was 65 percent contained at 5 p.m. local time.
Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said the man is extremely remorseful and is cooperating with investigators.
A woman suffocated from the fire and an investigation into the blaze is now a criminal probe, officials said.
The definitive cause of the 3,200-acre blaze that destroyed 29 homes was still under investigation, officials said. The figures are a change from earlier damage tolls given by authorities.
Updated at 1:45 p.m. ET:
Firefighters worked Friday to hold the line on a fast-moving brush fire near Reno that forced more than 10,000 people to flee and destroyed more than 26 homes. Fire officials said one person was dead.
The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday, and about 2,000 people remained under evacuation orders late Thursday, Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said.
More than 700 people were expected to fight the fire Friday. Spokesman Mark Regan of the Sierra Fire Protection District said the blaze, which burned 3,700 acres, was 50 percent contained.
The cause of the blaze was not determined.
Hernandez said that 20 homes were destroyed, but a full assessment might reveal even more damage. There was one death in the fire area, Hernandez said, but he declined to provide more details, saying an autopsy would be needed to determine the cause.
The blaze was "almost a carbon copy" of a huge wild fire that destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno in November, the fire chief said. It also forced the evacuation of 10,000 people.
"It's inconceivable that this community has been struck by tragedy again," said Gov. Brian Sandoval, who declared a state of emergency Thursday.
It was not yet known what caused the fire.
Wet weather was forecast Friday, and snow was forecast Friday night. But high winds were expected to continue.
The Reno area had gone a winter-record 56 days without any precipitation until light snow fell earlier this week.
Updated at 5:12 a.m. ET: Firefighters worked early Friday to hold the line on a fast-moving brush fire that tore through the Reno area, destroying more than 20 homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee.
The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles in size before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno.
About 2,000 people remained under evacuation orders late Thursday, Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said. About 250 firefighters were battling the blaze.
Wet weather was forecast Friday, and snow was forecast Friday night. But high winds were expected to continue, with gusts up to 40 mph.
About 2,300 homes in the area were without power Thursday night.
Updated 1:10 a.m. ET: More than 10,000 people have been evacuated as a wind-driven wildfire burns out of control near Reno, The Associated Press reports. Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said hundreds of firefighters were "in the thick of battle" against a blaze that has burned across thousands of acres.
"The news is not good," Hernandez said. Wind gusts of up to 82 mph were reported and a five-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 395 was closed.
Hernandez confirmed one death, but would not say it was caused by the fire until an autopsy is performed, KRNV.com reported.
Gov. Brian Sandoval has declared a state of emergency.
See more coverage at NBC station KRNV
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, fire officials said that the brush fire began around noon just north of Washoe Lake and that the cause was under investigation.
Original post: RENO, Nev. -- Fierce winds fueled a fast-moving brush fire through a valley south of Reno on Thursday, destroying at least 10 homes and threatening many more along a stretch of U.S. 395.
At least 10 homes burned in the Washoe Area Estates neighborhood, NBC station KRNV of Reno reported. Washoe County declared a state of emergency.
Heavy smoke forced authorities to shutdown a five-mile stretch of the highway north of Washoe Lake in Pleasant Valley, about 10 miles from Reno, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.
James Glover Ii / Reuters
A crew member from the Nevada Department of Forestry works to control the Washoe Drive fire near a home off Highway 395 in Washoe City, Nev., on Thursday.
Authorities evacuated hundreds of children from Pleasant Valley Elementary School and residents of neighboring Washoe City.
Sheriff's deputies told the Reno newspaper winds were pushing flames closer to Reno, where voluntary evacuations were issued in several neighborhoods.
Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Reno -- already delayed because of bad weather -- was cut short because of the fire. Biden was two hours late to give a speech to students at Galena High School. The vice president was forced to end his speech after 25 minutes because officials needed the high school gym as a command center for firefighters.
Winds in the area were gusting over 50 mph, The Weather Channel reported, but were expected to moderate on Friday to about 20 mph, with gusts to about 30 mph.
Winds gusts up to 82 mph were reported within a few miles of the fire, and a gust of 122 mph was recorded atop Slide Mountain, which is between the fire and Reno at the Mount Rose ski resort.
Rounding up horses
Flames up to 40 feet high raced through sagebrush, grass and pines in an area where small neighborhoods are dispersed in a rural landscape. Washoe County animal services officials were helping round up horses and other livestock for evacuation.
NBC News
A large home is destroyed by flames near Reno on Thursday.
About six flights were diverted, delayed or canceled at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport as a reult of heavy black smokein Washoe Valley, said spokesman Brian Kulpin.
The conditions were similar to those Nov. 18, when a wind-driven fire destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno.
This post includes reporting from NBC station KRNV of Reno, msnbc.com staff and The Associated Press.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
- Court: No forced abortion for mentally ill woman
- More billion-dollar disaster added to 'extreme' 2011
- Trans fat ban proposed for Colorado schools
- Woman used kids to rob woman of life savings
- Fire at prof's home reveals cache of child porn
Leave a Comment:
fairly illiterate story for a news source. pretty typical of net news
This is rare news I've never heard of in mid January...Strange days indeed.
You're obviously from "back east" and not a firefighter...how's newt and the circus circuit treatin' ya? Any "investments" for us to note for our portfolio?
Generalization of course...go to Las Vegas, bring lotsa' money... we'll luv ya!
Wonder what age is considered elderly??
What does everyone feel the outcome will be for the man who, thru no ill intentions, started this fire? If he/she were 19-20 years old I would bet the farm that they would have already arrested them and had them under at least a half million dollar bail while at the same time starting a media frenzy to reduce the public view of the individual to roughly that of rotten dog feces on ones shoes!!
I am interested in seeing what happens here, I don't feel that prison is the right thing to do in this case, but society anymore seems to think that prison is the answer to everything when it comes to something along these lines! We have made horrible decisions with our criminal justice system and we are now reaping the fruits of that bad policy decision and there seems to be no end in sight for just how far it is going to go before we are able to steer it around into a positive direction and keep from sending damn near everyone who has a run in with the law to prison for something that shouldn't even warrant a fine let alone a felony conviction and prison sentence!!!
sumatymrolls - a woman has died from suffocation because of this man's actions of willful ignorance or idiocy. That is involuntary manslaughter. You want to know what the problem is here? We've given a free pass to the stupid or willfully ignorant, at the expense of everyone else. The only people defending that dynamic must have a vested interest, if you catch my drift.
I'm here in Carson City, Nv. and i tow for the Highway Patrol and Sheriff's dept. What the news is not telling you is that the fire started around 1p.m. by a lightning strike. This was further fuled by 60+ mph winds. I was in Washoe Valley flipping over a trailer with a boat at the time the fire started and could see the flames at almost 7 miles away. It is now 6:45 p.m. as of this post and it is starting to snow (finaly) in the valley and this is causing more problems for the fire department since they cannot get up the mountainside due to the snow. My home is in Lake Tahoe and it is dumping snow at the moment. In the first hour we have already got more that a half a foot and this has created accident's up at the lake level. Looks like i'm in for a very long night.
Stay safe, phc.
Hang in there and be safe. Good luck to you sir!
I am not going to say you don't live in Carson City, but there has never been any mention of a lightning strike, and where you came up with the half foot of snow in the first hour is totally wrong. I am at Lake Tahoe, South Shore, where the storm came through first, and we have a light dusting with rain, which is what they really need, also the winds have died down to around 5 mph. They have the forward movement of the fire stopped and are starting the knocking down of hot spots now. US 395 from Carson to Reno is closed indefinitely.
I'm in NV also and the first thing you learn is that is can be sunny at your house and snowing and windy at your neighbors across the street. The cause has not been stated in the news but if he has a scanner he may know more than the news is reporting.
What clouds did the strike come from?
I must have totally missed the mid-afternoon storm that produced any lightening here in Reno. Usually the TV stations would have said that could have been a cause, but they were totally mum. :P
Didn't realize how many locals were on this board. I live in Sparks and work in Carson.
Driving home Thursday evening from Carson, I had to go through Virginia City and down Geiger Grade; it was insane. Took about 2.5 hours. From the summit of Geiger where you have a view of the valley, I could see numerous fires that were a lot further north than I originally thought. Like within a mile south of the intersection of 395 & 431/341
Scary stuff. I hate the fires we have here. We could use about ten feet of snow. Wouldn't hurt the economy either. Ski resorts are crying.
Hang tough, fellow Northern Nevadans; this too shall pass.
Politicalhorsecrap...
At lake level here (we live a block away from the lake...South Shore)...IT'S RAINING! Snow level's above 7000 feet...NO FOOT OF SNOW! Fuel moisture content is very low for this time of year. "Desert" fires typically burn hot and fast during the day then die down at night (given the wind conditions) Winds are always predominantly high in the Washoe Valley during the day (between Carson City and Reno) with ANY pressure system that passes the area. On call here for strike teams as needed out of the "Carson Yard"...there are no hotshot crews available this time of year but local agencies seem to have a "handle" on the "Sit" with plenty of back up if needed (see NIFC Sit report)...really unfortunate ...two fires late this year in the Reno area...all hands here extending help and aid to the public in the Reno Carson area...paid or not! Oh...if I see your tow truck around my motorcycle, I'll kick your ass!
POST BY POLITICAL HORSECRAP is just that, horsecrap!!! Your comments are self-promoting, and not factual. There was NO lightning strike as you mention, nor rain or snow in Washoe Valley/Pleasant Valley on Thursday Nite. Fact, LOOK AT THE NEWS CLIPS. You mention living at Tahoe. Nice, but I think the thin air has affected you, to the point of embellishing your story. Hope someone from Sheriff's office and/or NHP tracks you down, and removes your towing privileges. You might be a hazard on OUR roads, you need to park your rig, and leave storytelling, to the politicians.........AND TO THE PROFESSIONALS-firefighters and police and ALL SUPPORT (radio operators, 911, people helping relocate animals, those just helping others, TWICE IN A SHORT TIME. CONGRATULATIONS ON A JOB WELL DONE, AND APPLAUSE!!!! You do what needs to be done, with little fanfare, that you do deserve. thanks, and hugs.......
Good luck and stay safe Horsecrap!!!!
You guys need to get your @!$%# together and PROOFREAD before posting these stories. Do they pay you to do a lousy job?
I go to the University in Reno. I hope my friends who live up there are safe, and everyone else.
Again? This smacks of stupid people not having anything better to do. Grow up! Good luck to the fire fighters and home owner's battling this mess.
Driest winter on record, there as with most parts of US. Of course there is no climate change caused by humans. It's all just mother nature. There is no way that all the poison we put in the air or how we keep paving over millions of acres of land, can have any bad effect on anything. Goodbye to the American West. Vegas and Reno will be ghost towns within 100 years, probably sooner.
Thats what they said in the 1800's but guess what? Were still here even though Harry Reid does all he can to destroy us.
No @!$%#,we could do with some californicators going back to their own country as well.
We signed a treaty in the 70's promising not to manipulate the weather in other countries. No one said anything about domestic tinkering. I don't know to what extent our climate can be altered but who would believe it even if we could control it with precision? Besides, if we are already in a natural state of global warming, what difference does speeding it up make to the oil companies?
golliegeewillikers-1980315...
Hmmm...interesting! Maybe you should think about going back to YOUR homeland dude. If not...well, come west...with your attitude maybe you'll "experience" what second amendment rights are all about! VETERAN...!
Hope that everyone are safe. Hope that there is no more loss of lives and property. In these times we have to pray to God. With so many natural calamities going on more prayer to God is needed. May God give Rain and Snow to the burning lands so that the fire is put off. May God give the courage and strength to the Firefighters to put off the Fire Quickly. GOD BLESS THE USA.
Kevin Valentine Moraes
Mira Road (Thane)
Pray that rain from heaven helps the firefighter and residents and comfort from thy Almighty God through the Lord Christ is with the victim's famliy and friends. Pray that God's mercy and grace and wisdom are with the firefighters and residents. Pray that thy angels protect the firefighters and residents so there is no further injury. And pray that thy Almighty hand holds down the wind and stops the spreading of fire. In Jesus name. Amen.
The disconnect between the contents of this prayer, however well intentioned, and what is actually happening on the ground, presumably the will of God from a believer's point of view, is astounding.
God god god, pls stfu. I live here and have seen the dmg first hand. Hotels and casinos are offering disscounted rates to affected familes ( 21 to 39 dollars a night) and free if families lost their homes ( last count 21 homes destroyed). Why not give any families affected by the fire, free rooms. Because these businesses could charge this fee any time they wish. Nothing like greedy business owners to take advantage of ppl in despair. My uncle and aunt lost everything and first thing the hotel asked, was their credit card number. FUQ
It's nuts isn't it Steve!!
I hope things work out for your Aunt & Uncle, sad to hear they lost everything!! Ive been to your area on a ski vacation a few years back, very nice people there. Best of luck to you and your family....Best wishes to you all....Robert S. from the East!!!
tyvm, they have lived in their house for 30 yrs until tonight.
I'm at a loss for words, hang tough and stick together Truth...I know it probably dosn't mean much over the net but my thoughts are with you.
I wonder if these people paid there $75 dollar fee or did the FireDept.Stand around and watch it burn?
Sarcasm/off
Actually, NV has some of the best firefighters in the country. We win national awards for the amazing job our men and women do. Other states send people here for training. Nevadans are good decent people and go way out of the way to help each other. On our news blurrs they list the volunteers for people who are able to help everything from a place to stay for your family or any animals big or small. People will loan you whatever you need and all they ask in return is to return the favor down the road to someone else in need. To live in Nevada you have to be tough, wimps don't make it here.
Hear, hear, No Career.
For a long time I've had a theory as to why residents in Northern Nevada are exactly as you describe:
The vast majority of us weren't born here or transferred here for work.
We're here because this is where we want to be. And when you're where you want to be, it's easier to go about each day with a good attitude. That sort of thing is missing elsewhere; I lived in half a dozen states before I found a Home here 25 years ago. And this is where I'll die.
Government help is on the way!
Actually, the fire wouldn't have gotten out of control except that Biden was doing a speach at the closest high school and because of his security the closest responders couldn't go meaning the next station which is several miles away had to respond giving the fire time to spread out of control.
Maybe if we actually had trustworthy politicians they would jump in and help instead of making the situation worse. Now people lost their homes because the political criminal's safety had to come first. Somehow, I don't think our forefathers would be too impressed with how we have become. In the old days Biden would have had integrity and offered some sort of help. But he did NOTHING!!!
Only idiots would put firemen on the detail to guard the vice president. Cops and a few EMS people yea. Firemen would be stupid. So either your just trolling or you city managers are idiots.
I am sick of people saying that every dam thing is Obama`s fault . You know If president Bush was there nothing different would have been done. Those House's and that one person still would have died. Now let's fined out what really happen and fix it.
I hope that everyone is safe and ok this morning. Lets hope that the weather helps the firefighters!
Why didn't they muster Ignorant Joe Biden to the fire lines he sure is hell is too stupid to do anything else. We pay him so why not do a public service. Oh, he was busy collecting payoffs for him and the Muslim in chief to do 4 more years of damage to the county.
I wish every one would stop look and thank about the s..t they post and say. Do you really thank the American people would put a Muslim in the white house, after September 11, 2001 please. I know the Republicans running for president would run screaming in the streets saying we where right that we have a Muslim in the white house, but HELL no they have not do that. I am sick of stupid people like you. If you don't like him fine run for office. I do not see any one in the no help of the working class party that can beat him.
Fire is a terrible thing. Maybe this snow and rain will help get it out today. 20 homes and 1 life lost, so sad. Bebop
I have to give the old guy credit for owning up to it. Sad to hear about peoples losses. My condolences..
Yes, and the article doesn't say he DID start the fire, just that dumping the ashes improperly COULD be a POSSIBLE cause.
Well at least he admitted his mistake, and that a lot more then I can say about a few people I work with at a steelmill as they try to lie about their screw-ups.
i dumped and ash pan once and it set my yard on fire...burnt up my couch and my collection of 12 ounce aluminum yard ornaments...i tried to push the lawn mower in but the wife stopped me...
haha, pretty funny, plain bob. :)
feel bad for the old guy, and for the people affected by the fire. People make mistakes.
How stupid can the old guy be by admitting he was to blame for the fire. Unless he just wants to spend the rest of his life locked up, and thats where he's going to be. Why do you think lawyers stress not to say or admit to anything whether you are guilty or not.
All of us can make careless mistakes. Owning up to it says alot about his character. Hopefully they will show him mercy.
To know the cause of this fire thanks to the elderly man who likely set it, while it can't restore this tragedy, it offers the rest of us an understanding and the possible nature of terrible fires. Such knowledge thanks to this man, hopefully will help prevent or at least reduce the likelihood that future, terrible occurrences will occur again.
and ash pan under a fire some times has hot embers...so ya'll be careful if you burn wood...and i hate mowing...
I clean out my wood stove...ashes remain in galvanized 5 gal can until it's stone cold. 1-2 days. But, as dumb as this old man was...I have to say kudos that he actually manned-up and admitted to his boo-boo. A rarity nowadays with politicians, young folk,...heck; everybody. Denial, lies, blame games.