Fire crews trample two structure fires in one morning

Carson City Fire Department had a busy Monday morning as they extinguished two structure fires at different locations, along with assisting a brush fire on Highway 395 and Mica Drive in Douglas County.

At about 10 a.m., crews responded to a roof fire at an industrial building on Kansas Street. No injuries were reported and the cause is undetermined.

Shortly after extinguishing the roof fire, crews received another call to control an accidental structure fire on North Division Street. According to the department, crews were released from the reported fire at 10:37 a.m. The Mica Drive fire was contained to a half acre when reported at 10:22 a.m. It was knocked down within 12 minutes. Douglas firefighters will be on scene for another 45 minutes to mop up.

Most of the area’s crews spent Monday and throughout the night battling the 3,130-acre Preacher Fire south of the Gardnerville Ranchos.

Residents in the vicinity of Sierra Spirit Ranch were notified their homes were threatened by the lightning-caused fire.

At about 4 p.m. the fire grew 10 times its previous size, burning toward upper portion of Pinenut Road and Lena Lane area.

By late Monday, the fire had burned into Buffalo Canyon and multiple homes threatened by the advance of the fire and resources have been put in place for structure protection, in addition to recommending evacuations to the home owners, according to the East Fork Fire Protection District.

An evacuation center was established at the Douglas County Community Center and the Douglas County Fairgrounds is being used to evacuate large animals.

Law enforcement has established road closures in the area of the fire to only allow area residents and to minimize onlookers out.

Search and Rescue, Douglas County Sheriff’s Officers and Tribal Police continue to go door-to-door to advise homeowners of the danger and to encourage evacuations in the Courtland Road and Bodi Flats area on the south end of the fire.

The East Fork Fire District continues to be in unified command with the Bureau of Land management.

Deputy Fire Chief Steve Eisele is the Incident Commander.

Chief Tod Carlini will be working on a Declaration of Emergency with the Douglas County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning.

Lightning started the fire around 3:30 a.m. Monday. On Monday afternoon, aviation and ground forces attacked the fire while also suppressing multiple other new lightning caused starts across the Sierra Front.

One of those fires, at the end of Stockyard Road, drew resources from the Preacher Fire. The Flats fire was reported at around 4 p.m. and burned 18 acres.

Crews in Douglas County were spread thin after a lightning storm set off the 300-acre Preacher fire south of the Gardnerville Ranchos. The fire was burning off of Pine Nut Creek Road in area only accessible by hand and air crews.

It was first reported 3:45 a.m. No structures were threatened by the fire, but according to Deputy Fire Chief Steve Eisele, there is no vehicle access.

“The East Fork Fire District is currently working with the Bureau of Land Management on placing aircraft and hand crews on this incident,” Eisele said Monday morning.

Forecasters are predicting scattered thunderstorms through this afternoon.

Heavy rain and flash flooding is possible until Wednesday when drier air arrives reducing the chances of thunderstorms.

The fire is one of two set by a lightning storm early Monday morning. The first fire near Leviathan Mine Road was quickly extinguished.