Can it happen here?

Several areas of Carson City and surrounding counties are at a high risk of a disastrous wildfire similar to the Angora fire in South Lake Tahoe.

Most of the danger is in areas where development meets wilderness, including the Virginia City Highlands and Clear Creek Canyon in Carson City.

Storey County Fire Chief Gary Hames said it's not a matter of if, but when a fire hits the highlands.

"(Homeowners) are very proactive, they take 200 to 300 tons of flammable material out of there every summer, but it's still a very big-worst-case scenario fire for us," Hames said.

The residential area in Storey County presents a number of problems, including limited access and water supplies as well as especially dangerous fuels. The community is infested with single-leaf pinion and juniper trees, which burn quickly and cause the fire to burn up into the canopy. Winds and fuel moisture in the highlands can produce flame lengths of 20-30 feet in the surface fuels and 80-100 feet or more in the canopy of the trees.

In Carson City and Douglas County, the Clear Creek Canyon area worries firefighters.

"That's the biggest concern because of the narrow canyon. That topography makes it very easy for a well-established fire to be burning on both sides of the canyon," said Stacey Giomi, Carson City fire chief.

Other areas of concern are any of the interface areas of the city, including North Carson City above Arrowhead Drive, Timberline, Lakeview, Ash and King's Canyon and the Mexican Dam area.

Tod Carlini, East Fork Fire Protection District chief, echoed the concern about the Clear Creek area.

"The overgrowth is excessive and it would be a significant event," Carlini said. "We don't have the residences yet, but the potential for that fire to spread up the canyon and into the (Tahoe) basin is very high."

Sharon Arnold, head of the Clear Creek Fire Safe Council, said homeowners are aware of the danger and believe they have done all they can.

"We know we live here and there is a probability of fire, but we know we've done all we can do. Most of the property owners have taken this to heart and take the precautions seriously," Arnold said.

Following an effort by the White House in 2002 to institute a national fire plan, the Nevada Fire Safe Council hired a private company to evaluate each county and provide a catastrophic fire risk assessment. The purpose of the assessments was to determine if a fire started, where would it be most likely to quickly become widespread and present safety or control issues for firefighters.

Resource Concepts Inc., a Carson City land management consultant, looked at four factors that affects potential fire hazard rating and arrived at an overall community hazard rating.

The factors used were: Community design, defensible space, construction materials, availability of fire suppression resources and physical conditions such as fuel load and topography.

In Western Lyon County, three areas have an increased risk. Mound House, Stagecoach and the end of Dayton Valley Road.

"There are still a lot of fuels around the residential areas," said John Gillenwater, Central Lyon County fire chief. "The amount of fuels in the area, if the fire started in the right area we could have several houses on fire before it even gets reported to us."

Gillenwater said Stagecoach, while listed in the assessment report as a low risk, is still a concern because of lighter "flash" fuels, which can cause a fire to spread quickly. The area at the end of Dayton Valley Road is a concern because of heavy timber and larger parcels that serve as havens for dense fuels.

The best way to help save lives and property, according to the assessment report, is to create defensible space around properties in interface areas, but even that isn't fool proof.

"We live in a fire environment. There is only so much we can do, even if we join forces, it's just a reality we choose to accept because we live here," Giomi said.

Arnold said, "Every morning I wake up and smell for smoke. We are always diligent."

Fire hazard ratings

Community fire hazard ratings for at-risk areas of four counties. The ratings signify how likely an area is to suffer a catastrophic fire event should a fire ignite. The assessment was done between 2004-05 by Resource Concepts Inc., in conjunction with the Nevada Fire Safe Council.

Carson City:

Carson City - Moderate

Carson Indian Colony - Moderate

Clear Creek - High

Stewart - Low

Eastern Douglas County:

Alpine View - Moderate

Bodie Flats - Extreme

China Springs - High

Dresslerville - Moderate

East Valley - Low

Fish Springs - High

Gardnerville - Low

Gardnerville Ranchos - Low

Genoa - High

Holbrook Junction - High

Jack's Valley/Indian Hills - Moderate

Johnson Lane - Moderate

Minden - Low

North Foothill Road - High

Pine Nut Creek - High

Ruhenstroth - Moderate

Sheridan Acres - High

Spring Valley - High

Topaz Lake - Moderate

Topaz Ranch Estates - High

Storey County:

Gold Hill - High

Lockwood - Moderate

Six Mile Canyon - Moderate

Virginia City - High

Virginia City Highlands - Extreme

Lyon County:

Dayton - Moderate

Fernley - Low

Fort Churchill - Moderate

Mark Twain - Moderate

Mason Valley - Moderate

Mound House - Moderate

Silver City - High

Silver Springs - Low

Stagecoach - Low

Wabuska - Moderate

Weed Heights - Moderate

Yerington - Low

Smith Valley - Moderate

- Source: www.rci-nv.com/ reports

• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.