Campfire sparked C Hill fire; burn barrel to blame in Dayton blaze

A Boy Scout fire is to blame for a C Hill blaze that scorched three acres and threatened surrounding homes, an official said Friday.

Carson City Fire Department Inspector Duane Lemons said that on Jan. 3 a group of Boy Scouts were in the area learning about the use of a camping oven when embers escaped the pot and caught nearby brush on fire.

The fire, which ran along a strip of earth from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1331 McKay Drive, to Crane Court, was mostly out by 8:30 p.m. with the help of rain.

He said the evening winds, estimated at 25 mph, contributed to the rapid spread of the blaze. Two fences were also scorched.

"We could still have brush fires at any time," Lemons said. "Until we get some more moisture here, its going to be very dry."

Despite the season, people should still be cautious about open flame, he said.

"Especially in windy conditions - that's what really caused this - if there had been no wind that night I don't think they would have had any problems. If the wind is over 5 mph, any fire should extinguished," he said.

Embers in a burn barrel caught the garage of a home in Dayton on fire last week, according to Central Lyon County Fire Chief John Gillenwater.

Gillenwater said the tenants at 47 Wells Fargo had apparently been burning clothing in their burn barrel the night before and the barrel was left too close to the garage.

"The also had a lot of other yard debris in the barrel and it spread from the burn barrel to the structures," he said.

When the fire was spotted about 8 a.m., a nearby construction crew installing a water main ran into the home and woke the tenants and began putting water on the fire from their water trucks until the fire department arrived.

Their intervention is credited with saving most of the structure, Fire Chief Mark Darragh said.