First responders recall Waterfall Fire 20 years later

Approximately 20 years ago, the Waterfall Fire swept through the west side of Carson City consuming more than 8,000 acres and 18 homes. Upward of 2,000 firefighters fought to contain it over several days. Some were injured in that fight, though not severely. Numerous vehicles were burned.

The wildfire had sprung from a campfire near the waterfall area in Kings Canyon and was first reported at 2:57 a.m. July 14, 2004. In the ensuing hours, drought conditions and high winds set off a chain reaction of raging flames and mass evacuations from Lakeview to Voltaire Canyon.

“It shakes you from the roots,” Mary Ann Randall, who lost a home on Timberline Drive, recalled five years after the event. “Everything that you think was important kind of goes up in smoke, except it's not really everything that's important; it’s just material stuff that can be purchased again."

In the fall of 2004, an interagency investigation between federal, state and local authorities found numerous errors in the initial response to the blaze. However, it also noted no residents were harmed. And perusing the Appeal’s reports from the time, one gets the sense that despite bewilderment, devastation and loss, the community banded together to help one another.

“Almost immediately, local media began fielding dozens of phone calls from people wanting to help. Some offered up their pastures to displaced horses, others offered to take in dogs, birds, cats and livestock,” reads a 2009 article commemorating the fire’s fifth-year anniversary. “The emergency shelter was swamped with clothing, drinks, food, water. An emergency animal shelter sprung up at Fritsch Elementary. While it seemed the entire city was in flames, everyone wanted to come to the rescue.”

For the fire’s 20-year anniversary, the Appeal talked to Steve Robinson, west-side resident and former state forester, Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong and Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon about memories of the fire and its lasting impacts. These are their reflections and insights:

Steve Robinson

“Returned to Nevada in 2001 to join Gov. Guinn’s administration as his state forester. My previous position had been as director of the National Interagency Fire Center in Idaho. On the week of the Waterfall Fire start, I had just transferred into Gov. Guinn’s office as deputy chief of staff overseeing natural resources and rural affairs. I was living at the base of Ash Canyon where we still live today. Retired last year as a government relations consultant.

“I got word about the fire start from the new state forester, Pete Anderson, early that morning. We and Carson City Fire sent hand crews, but it was in extremely steep and dangerous terrain. Spread was quick. There was an urgent need for air drops, but none were immediately available for a number of reasons. Many believe to this day that large tanker drops would have contained the spread. Never know, of course.

“My job was to coordinate the rapidly spreading fire with the federal and local agencies, especially Stacey Giomi, the acting fire chief, and the U.S. Forest Service. One of the fire trucks was parked in a position where they couldn’t escape in the vehicle. They did manage to get to safety on foot, but it could have been a serious ‘burnover’ resulting in injuries or fatalities. The truck was destroyed.

“Over the next week, the fire spread from Kings Canyon to Lakeview. Many homes were lost, and my most vivid memory was seeing the entire mountain range above the city in flames at night. The fire quickly made the national news probably because it was the state capital. The networks sent reporters here even speculating that the Governor’s Mansion was in jeopardy. Evacuations were widespread over the entire west side. I recall Gov. Guinn personally visiting with folks who had lost their home. It is said losing one’s home and all its possessions is the worst trauma other than death of a family member. He was gracious to all.

“Carson City’s watershed was terribly affected but over the years through a combination of state, local and federal efforts, much has been improved. And the awareness of the threat of wildfire in the city by citizens has been greatly enhanced with efforts like Firewise et al., taking defensible space and other measures into neighborhoods across the city.

“The watershed has been substantially restored, but the visual scars are still to be seen, and recovery from these large wildfires take generations to recover completely.”

Sheriff Furlong

“With just 18 months in as the newly elected sheriff, the Waterfall Fire challenged the department’s resources and preparedness. Throughout the fire disaster, both fire and police agencies were challenged with residents refusing to abandon their homes, pets, and lifelong memories.

“What started as a remote fire quickly burst into a major disaster moving at unanticipated speeds. I recall being positioned at the top of the Kings Canyon residential area when evacuation orders were just being executed and deputies were contacting residents. Unfortunately, the entire area suddenly burst into unexpected flames sending everyone, first responders and civilians alike, running to escape the literal inferno. That vivid memory of people, cars, trucks and fire apparatus packed into an unescapable area is haunting.

“During the days and nights to follow, the sheriff’s office fielded countless calls from crying residents only wanting to know if their homes had survived or had been destroyed. In many cases, the heartbreaking news was difficult to convey, yet for others, their homes had defied reasoning and escaped the flames that circled their homes.

“As the fire hours turned into days, I saw it taking its toll on the Timberline residential area. It was shocking to see the windswept flames sending out spotting fires everywhere. Probably one of my most horrific moments came as I realized that those firefighters battling to save the people and homes inside the Timberline area were actually surrounded by fire on all sides. The windswept embers had caused so many spot fires that the area was eventually completely surrounded by flames, and most firefighters deep inside the residential area could not have known how much peril their lives were actually in as the battling flames were encircling them.

“While grappling with effective unity of command during the fire, much has improved over the years. Today law enforcement officials are more tightly joined with the fire commands to ensure we don’t place ourselves in a battle to save our own lives while carrying out our responsibilities. Command is all about plans, execution and communications, and this was a topic of critical discussion following the Waterfall Fire. It remains to this day a central focus of all operations, with communications being at the top of my concerns.”

Fire Chief Slamon

“While I don’t have memories of the Waterfall Fire as I was not working for Carson City Fire at the time, I have had several discussions with some of our firefighters who were working that day. The most telling comments and memories have been how fast the fire was moving and nearly impossible to get a true scope of the fire because of the rapid spread.

“During the fire one of our Carson City crews was cut off due to the rapidly advancing fire. While they fortunately escaped without significant injuries, one of our fire apparatus was burned over. A total of five fire apparatus were burned while battling the fire. This is significant to me for two reasons: 1) the aggressiveness of firefighters on the fire trying to fight it; 2) the fire was moving so fast due to the winds that it trapped engines in remote areas resulting in the burn damages to them.

“Initial response was a ‘wildland response.’ A sheriff’s deputy called the fire in on July 14, 2004, at 0257 hours, and fire crews were dispatched at 0300 hours. The fire was located in a steep canyon, and fire crews reported the fire was 3-4 acres with heavy timber involved, and the fire was crowning (burning on the tops of trees and spreading from tree to tree) and very difficult to fight. Mutual aid assistance was requested, and nearby agencies began to respond. Air resources (planes and helicopters) began to arrive at 0650 hours. At that time, firefighting planes and helicopters did not fly at night (this is still mostly the case; however, some agencies are beginning to fly at night now with advancement in technology). CCFD mandated a total recall of all off duty personnel.”

Slamon continued, addressing changes since the fire:

“On the positive side: We have made numerous improvements. At the time of the Waterfall Fire, Carson City did not have a wildland or fuels removal crew. After the Waterfall Fire, a seasonal fuels reduction crew began. Today, that has expanded to five fulltime wildland firefighters; their primary function is to remove hazardous fuels. These projects are mostly grant-funded or funded through contracts. Technology has improved our ability to detect and locate fires. We have more firefighters on duty than we had in 2004.

“On the negative side: Today fires are burning more intensely and spreading faster than in previous decades. Over the last decade, the western United States has experienced larger and more destructive and deadly wildland fires than previous decades. Locally we have had two very wet winters and a very mild fire season last year. Fuels such as cheatgrass are more abundant and taller than in the last several years. This is a big concern for us as we enter into summer.

“We are very proactive in our community focusing on wildfire education and prevention… We have a public dumpster and trailer program for brush and vegetation removal. We will deliver a dumpster or trailer to your house for you to clear any vegetation. Once completed we will pick it up and take it to the dump free of charge. This allows an easy and free program for our homeowners to create defensible space around their property.

“We also offer free defensible space home inspections. You just need to make an appointment, and we will come to your house and make recommendations on what you can do to create a defensible space and reduce your risk of wildfire. We also hold several community meetings to help educate our citizens on the threat of wildfire and what they can do to help reduce the threat and how to prepare in the event of a fire.”

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For information on CCFD and living with wildfire, visit https://www.carson.org/government/departments-a-f/fire-department and https://www.livingwithfire.org/.