Blaze hints at worse fire season than ‘99

Martin Griffith

Monday, July 3, 2000 | 10:15 a.m.

RENO -- Steep, rugged terrain hampered firefighters Sunday in their battle against a 30,000-acre wildland fire near Winnemucca -- the state's largest wildfire of the season so far.

The Kelly Creek fire 200 miles northeast of Reno was the latest in a series of lightning-caused wildfires that have blackened more than 45,000 acres across Northern Nevada over the last week.

No homes were threatened or damaged. No injuries were reported.

Rodney Lowrie, team leader of the Nevada Interagency Fire Prevention Team, said fire conditions are much worse than normal.

"Conditions are not unlike last year," when wildfires scorched more than 1.6 million acres across Nevada, the state's worst wildland fire season on record, he said.

"We could be in for the worst fire season in Northern Nevada's history."

Last year, six of the top 10 Western wildfires were in Nevada, with five in the northern part of the state.

Fear of fire has prompted Virginia City leaders to cancel the town's Independence Day fireworks show for the first time in 19 years. The historic mining town is located 20 miles southeast of Reno.

Forest Service officials are warning the public that the possession or use of fireworks is prohibited on all federal lands.

"Fireworks pose a serious danger under the current fire conditions," said Mike Dondero, a forest fire management officer. "The recent fires underscore the extremely dry conditions that exist throughout the area."

Other restrictions are in effect on federal land, including a ban on open campfires except in developed recreation sites.

The remote Kelly Creek blaze, which began Friday about 50 miles northeast of Winnemucca, jumped considerably in size Saturday due to high winds.

Fire information officer Mike Holbert said the fire was only 15 percent contained Sunday and it was uncertain when it would be fully contained.

"I think we're looking in the neighborhood of five days before it's controlled," he said. "That will depend on weather conditions."

The brush fire spread into a federal wilderness study area and threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and sage grouse habitat.

It was burning mostly brush on both mountains and valley floors managed by the Bureau of Land Management.