Rifle range fire caused by bullet; house fire by a candle

A 15-acre fire at the Carson City Rifle Range was likely caused by shooters, an official said Friday.

Fire Chief Stacey Giomi said investigators recovered several shell casings in the area where the fire was believed to have started Wednesday afternoon.

"We've been unable to locate any other cause. This could have been a stray bullet or someone intentionally shooting at something other than the target," he said.

Giomi said a house fire on Appion Way on Thursday started after a glass container holding a lit candle burst and spilled wax onto curtains, a lamp and a couch.

The homeowner was slightly injured trying to extinguish the flames.

Giomi said firefighters were able to save a dog and keep damage to the home to a minimum.

State fire investigators have not yet determined what caused a series of unrelated fires in Lyon County this week.

The official word is they are all "still under investigation," said Chad Hastings of the State Fire Marshal's Office.

"I haven't seen a report yet," he said regarding a wildland fire in Mark Twain on Wednesday that destroyed five outbuildings and several vehicles.

Investigators are also still looking for the cause of a fire Thursday on truck Route 341 that scorched 85 acres of brush on the southeastern outskirts of Virginia City.

And the cause is still not known for a house fire in Silver Springs on Thursday that destroyed a doublewide mobile home on Atkins Street, Hastings said.

- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.