Firefighters gain upper hand in containing Reno wildland fire

Friday, June 25, 1999 | 9:56 a.m.

Fire officials hoped to have a complete fire break around the 6,000-acre blaze north of Reno by noon.

The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the backyard of a Lemmon Valley home north of Reno. Strong winds to 30 mph accompanied by even strong gusts quickly spread the flames that were fueled by tall grass and tinder-dry brush.

"Some power lines behind a house on Reservoir Street, in these erratic winds, they were slapping against a metal shed and we figure it arced," said Roy Slate, acting chief of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. "We know is was not arson."

The winds continued into the evening hours, pushing the flames to the Spanish Springs area north of Sparks.

Fire officials said the blaze jumped Eagle Canyon Road and proceeded to run rampant on two separate fronts.

Traffic on Eagle Canyon Road off of Pyramid Lake Highway was blocked off as 250 firefighters battled the blaze. The Sierra Front Incident Management Team, especially equipped for intense fires, took over command of the fire late Thursday.

Engine trucks were positioned near homes in the area to guard against advancing flames, though no homes were lost or damaged and no injuries were reported.

Earlier Thursday, a voluntary evacuation was issued for residents of the Whispering Pines trailer park in Lemmon Valley. But as nighttime descended, the threat there had eased as the fire flashed across the desert mountain ranges to the north.

Helicopters and tanker planes were assisting ground crews with an aerial assault.

Winds were calm as daylight broke over the northern Nevada desert today. The forecast from the National Weather Service called for west winds 5-15 mph, increasing to 15-25 mph in late afternoon and early evening.