Firefighters gain upper hand on largest Reno-area wildfires

Martin Griffith

Friday, June 30, 2000 | 4:58 a.m.

RENO, Nev. - Firefighters have gained the upper hand on the largest of a series of lightning-caused wildland fires in the Reno area.

The 7,690-acre Antelope Valley fire was 80 percent contained and the 4,000-acre Hungry Valley blaze was fully contained, fire information officer Mark Struble said Friday.

The brush fires burned within 200 feet of homes Wednesday night about 15 miles north of Reno and prompted a voluntary evacuation of residents.

Hundreds of firefighters have been battling the fires around the clock since they began Wednesday afternoon.

In all, the blazes have blackened about 15,000 acres of public and private land.

There were no reports of injuries or damage to homes.

"We definitely dodged a few bullets," Struble said. "When you have 1,800 lightning strikes in a 12-hour period and lose no homes, you're pretty lucky.

"I think our firefighters have done a pretty incredible job. There are a lot of tired firefighters out there."

Struble said three other fires threatened wildlife habitat but posed only outside threats to homes.

They were a 2,000-acre blaze near Nixon east of Reno, a 1,000-acre fire near Doyle, Calif., north of Reno and a 2,000-acre fire east of Virginia City in Lyon County.

Each fire was no more than 20 percent contained.

Containment of the Reno area's two largest blazes allowed firefighters to be shifted.

"It's allowed us to attack the smaller ones," Struble said.

Fire crews welcomed forecasts calling for cooler temperatures and a diminishing chance of thunderstorms over the weekend.

"We are optimistic we can contain the smaller fires if the weather cooperates," Struble said.

Wildfires blackened more than 1.6 million acres across Nevada last year, the state's worst wildland fire season on record.

Fire officials have warned conditions are ripe for another bad fire season this year.