City to launch fire restoration program

Tuesday, July 20, 2004 | 9:21 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Mayor Ray Masayko on Monday pledged $500,000 to start restoration on the charred mountains west of Carson City and fire officials defended the timing of their first response to the blaze that blackened 7,600 acres.

"Let's lift the cloud of despair and shock," Masayko told a press conference in announcing the commitment of the money. "We're on our way to recovery."

The money will be used to revegetate the burned areas and to make sure that the city water system is kept free of sediments.

Fire officials were questioned about complaints that firefighters didn't take sufficient action against the fire while it was still small and that the delay allowed it to explode across the forest and range lands west of the city.

Regional Forester Jack Troyer said the crews were on the blaze 31 minutes after it was reported and that "is an extremely rapid response."

Gov. Kenny Guinn said the blaze started in a remote area and it took 45 minutes to get to it. People who think firefighters' response was slow "are misinformed," Guinn said.

Fire officials said the blaze was extremely difficult to control because of the dry conditions and the wind.

About one-third of the blackened land is managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the rest belongs to the city, state and private individuals. The mayor said about 2,000 acres of city land burned.

Robert L. Vaught, forest supervisor for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, said the fire was touched off by a campfire that may have smoldered for several days before igniting the area.

The fire was started behind a locked gate and behind a sign that said fires were prohibited because of the dry conditions.

"Because one person was careless, it is heartbreaking," Vaught said.

His investigators and the Carson City Sheriff's office are chasing down many leads.

He said those responsible could be required to pay some of the costs. Fighting the fire cost $4.8 million and that doesn't include the damage to the land and the 15 homes lost to the flames. No comprehensive estimate for that damage was offered Monday.

The task now is to plant trees and reseed scorched mountainsides to try to prevent rain from washing burned material and ash into the watershed. The state will look to Congress for help with the rehabilitation. State Forester Pete Anderson said his agency has limited funds for restoration of the area. But it operates a tree nursery and has prison conservation crews that can do some of the work.

Anderson said the state would be in competition in Congress with other states where fires have hit, such as Alaska and California.

Guinn said a heavy rainfall would wash all the debris down the mountains and into the city's water system.

Masayko said $250,000 will be set aside to provide extra filtering to prevent sediments from getting into the water supply. And another $250,000 will help cover the cost of erosion control and revegetation.

"I'm not sure what Congress will do," the mayor said. "We will need additional help."

The federal, state and local agencies all pledged to work together to restore the area.

But Steve Robinson, natural resources advisor to the governor, said, "It will never look the same in our lifetime."

The governor praised the spirit of the community. He said a family south of Carson City that was not touched by the fire, for example, set up a barbecue Saturday and cooked for the families that lost homes or had them damaged.

A beauty shop in the west portion of the city was threatened by the flames. A helicopter returning from a flight dumped what water it had, saving the structure. Guinn said the owners vowed to give that pilot free haircuts for the rest of his life.