Residents to move back in after destructive fire, crews still working

Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story. Check back on this article for details as they come in.

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For a live map of the affected areas, click here.

City officials are asking the following:

To stay out of the area of the fire, as onlookers have hindered traffic.

To call 911 only in the case of an emergency, as frequent calls have blocked the lines

To evacuate their homes if there is smoke inside it, but to stay inside if there is smoke outside of their homes to assure air quality.

Dial 211 for information on the fire. Because lines are overloaded, call 775-337-5800 for more information.

Photo by Riley Snyder/The Nevada Sagebrush

Update: 11:45 a.m.

Residents displaced by the fire should be able to return to the area by noon today, and firefighting efforts should be finished by tomorrow evening, city officials said. The fire, which is now 65 percent contained, rendered 15 structures uninhabitable and damaged 40 others, Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said.

While an official reason for the fire has not been released, Hernandez said investigators are examining the possibility that high winds caused power lines to arc and start the blaze. Winds complicated the situation as the fire spread quickly to 2,000 acres.

Power was restored to most homes in the area last night, but 50 customers remain without power and 150 without gas, an official from NV Energy said.

Senator Dean Heller said local and state-wide efforts were crucial in securing federal fire aid, and that the work done by first responders was inspiring.

“It’s incredible what can be done in 24 hours,” he said.

Reno High School will remain open until 5 p.m. and officials said they will help find additional housing for evacuees if necessary, Sierra Front Public Information Officer Mark Regan said.

Update: 10:30 p.m.

Crews will stay at work on the situation through the night and will have a better idea of the extent of the damage done tomorrow, Sierra Front Public Information Officer Mark Regan said.

The fire has damaged a total of 21 structures, down from an original estimate of 25 officials had given earlier, he said. The term “structures” could include sheds and other auxiliary buildings.

Officials expect winds of 10-15 miles per hour with gusts up to 25 miles per hour tomorrow morning, Regan said. Earlier today firefighters worked against erratic winds with gusts up to 80 miles per hour, he said.

Regan said responders are still working with a goal of having people able to return to their homes by noon tomorrow, but the timing may change.

According to a Facebook post on the Associated Students of the University of Nevada profile, the undergraduate student government has delivered one truck and one van full of donated supplies to people the fire has affected. The group will be accepting donations at its front desk on the third floor of the Joe Crowley Student Union tomorrow from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Officials have given their last mass update for the night and will give another press conference at 10 a.m.

Update: 6:40 p.m.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said the injured firefighter was transported to a hospital and is in stable condition.

The incident makes the 16th injury of the day related to the fire. One man also died earlier in the day from cardiac arrest in the evacuation process.

Colder temperatures, snowfall and increasing humidity will likely help fire crews move into the wrap-up phase by about 4 p.m. tomorrow, Hernandez said. But there are still several areas of active burning, especially along a ridge near the southern perimeter of the blaze, he said.

“For all practical purposes it’s contained,” Hernandez said. “But all it takes is a wind shift and we’re back to the races.”

City of Reno Public Information Officer Michele Anderson said law enforcement officials expect that homeowners should be able to move back into the area by about noon tomorrow.

Hernandez said that while he doesn’t want to confirm any causes for the fire, investigators have narrowed possible reasons to three: downed power lines, partying teenagers or a homeless encampment trying to stay warm. Officials should officially announce the fire’s cause tomorrow, he said.

Update: 4:44 p.m.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said one firefighter has been injured with first- and second-degree burns to the torso and face.

“The wind picked up, had a little brush and the fire flashed right onto his face,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez also said the forward movement of the fire had been stopped.

Update: 2:53 p.m.

The direction of the wind in Reno is expected to shift within a few hours, bringing colder temperatures and making the Caughlin Fire more difficult for responders to control, according to regional officials.

Rhett Milne, meteorologist for the NOAA National Weather Service, said a cold front coming into the region could shift the wind current from north/northeast to blowing south/southeast.

Fire Behavior Analyst for the Reno Fire Department Sandy Munns said the department does not have the southern area as contained as the north/northeast perimeter. Munns said the gust change does move the fire’s path away from the city’s main residential areas, however.

Munns said there are two types of fuel the fire is burning on: cheatgrass and sagebrush. Cheatgrass, also known as foxtails, is a light fuel. Experts call it a “flashy fuel,” meaning it burns quickly and at a high intensity.

Sagebrush is heavier and will burn for a longer period at low intensity, Munns said. Sagebrush can also spark and send embers across fire lines.

If the fire were to spread to the southwest, it could go up a canyon into Mount Mahogany, where there are pine trees that would be a much heavier fuel, Munns said.

Milne said the winds are expected to die down tomorrow.

Update: 10:01 a.m.

9,500 people have been evacuated because of the Caughlin Ranch fire, City of Reno public information officer Chris Good said in a statement. The evacuation area contains everything southwest of McCarran Boulevard and S. Virginia Street, the statement said.

Damonte Ranch High School will be used as an evacuation center if room runs out at Galena High School, the statement said.

Update: 9:44 a.m.

The Associated Students of the University of Nevada will begin collecting food, water, blankets and other supplies to deliver to the evacuation centers, ASUN Director of Public Relations Misha Ray said.

Students can bring donations to the ASUN offices, which are located on the third floor of the Joe Crowley Student Union, Ray said. Students can leave donations at the front desk, she said.

Update: 9:18 a.m.

Nearly all schools in the Washoe County School District are closed because of the Caughlin Fire, according to a release from the district. Only schools in Incline, Natchez and Gerlach will remain open, the statement said.

Reno and Galena High Schools will continue to be used as evacuation centers.

Update: 8:41 a.m.:

A fire in southwest Reno has claimed six buildings and six more are on fire as crews from the Reno-Carson City area and some from California work to control the more than 400-acre blaze, City of Reno spokesman Chris Good said.

The blaze began at about 1:20 a.m. in the Caughlin Ranch area, which is near South McCarran and Skyline boulevards. Good said one person has died during the event due to a cardiac arrest. High winds have made the blaze difficult to control, he said. The city of Reno and Washoe County have declared a state of emergency because of the fires, Good said in a statement.

Reno High School, the original evacuation location, is at capacity with about 110 evacuees and the city has opened Galena High School as a second location, Good said. In a press statement, he also said the Reno Livestock Events Center is open for people who need to evacuate livestock. The city doesn’t need to use the University of Nevada, Reno as an evacuation location at this time, Good said.

There has been confusion over the name of the fire, Good said. While some have referred to it as the Pinehaven Fire, the official name is the Caughlin Ranch Fire.

The News Desk can be reached at news@nevadasagebrush.com.