BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Bulldozers build a fire line at the top of a hill in Pleasant Valley to help combat a brush fire that burned about 75 acres Friday morning. Officials said they hoped to have the fire contained by the end of the day.
Seventy-five acres of brush burning in Pleasant Valley on Friday morning, was contained by 5 p.m., according to officials.
The fire reportedly started just after 10 a.m. near the construction of the Galena Creek Bridge, which will eventually connect to Highway 395.
"Early indications are that it was started by a piece of heavy equipment doing some excavation," said Scott Magruder, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation. "There may have been a spark, maybe from a rock or a blade hitting each other, and the people out there working tried to put it out but then had to call for help."
The fire burned up the ridge and away from homes.
Web users could actually see the burn as it progressed on the bridge's south Web cam at http://factory.oxblue. com/client/galena/.
Crews from the U.S. Forest Service, Nevada Division of Forestry, Bureau of Land Management, Sierra Fire Protection District, Washoe County Reno, Storey County and Carson City were called in to fight the blaze burning in brush and grass.
Two water tenders, three bulldozers and four engines aided the 17 handcrews to contain the flames.
Franklin Pemberton, spokesman for the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch, said the fire season hasn't really stopped since last summer.
"This is just the first one that been real visible on 395 this year," he said.
The Interstate 580 Galena Creek Bridge is expected to be finished by 2011.
When complete, the span of the bridge's concrete arch will be the longest in the U.S.
The extension of the Mount Rose Highway to Bowers Mansion cutoff will connect Reno and Carson City, effectively completing I-580 in Washoe County.
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