Wildfire

Looking to cut wherever possible, California Gov. Jerry Brown wants to put a cap on the amount of funds government agencies can receive to battle and recover from wildfires, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week runs through June 3. A Webinar Series on developing fire adapted communities at Lake Tahoe has been launched. Communities located in fire-prone area are fire adapted when they require little assistance from firefighters during a wildfire. Residents accept responsibility for living in a high fire-hazard area. They possess the knowledge and skills to prepare their homes and property to survive wildfire and they know how to evacuate early, safely and effectively.

Investigators looking into the cause of the 7,500-acre Topaz Ranch Estates wildfire are zeroing in on a controlled burn reported out of control two days before it allegedly rekindled in high win...

Firefighters are racing the wind this morning to build a line around Topaz Ranch Estates and Upper Colony Road in Smith Valley as a wildfire continues to burn in the Pine Nut mountains east of G...

With the theme "your home, your responsibility" the third Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Awareness Week begins Saturday, May 26 and will continue through June 3. The focus of the week is to promote homeowner and resident actions that reduce the risk from wildfire to homes and communities.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is encouraging local residents and part-time homeowners to become “wildfire aware” by taking advantage of public education activities during Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Week happening May 26 to June 3.

“With the fifth anniversary of the Angora fire coming up, this is a good opportunity for our community to discuss the importance of wildfire awareness,” said Joanne Marchetta, Executive Director of TRPA.

FLORISTON, Calif. - Hillsides charred by a 2001 wildfire might finally bloom with fields of native plants this spring, thanks in part to a restoration plan sponsored by the Sierra Business Counc...

The U.S. Forest Service and Lake Tahoe Community College will host a free screening of “Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time” On March 28. Filmmakers Ann and Steve Dunsky will be available to answer questions after the screening.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will resume controlled pile burning on Kingsbury Grade near Andria Drive Tuesday, March 6.
The size of the operation will depend on the condition of the area, according to the Forest Service. Crews may continue operations through the week and possibly through the weekend, weather and conditions permitting.

Prescribed fires are planned beginning Monday at various Lake Tahoe basin locations, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The controlled burns are planned for Kingsbury Grade near North Benjamin; the Logan Creek area; north of Emerald Bay; Kings Beach and McKinney Bay near Homewood.

Prescribed fires are scheduled to continue on Monday at various locations throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin. These controlled fires will take place around Kingsbury Grade, Emerald Bay and the Kings Beach area, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

View Washoe Drive Fire (1/19/2012) in a larger map

UPDATE 10PM: Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said tonight the Washoe Drive Fire has consumed and estimated 3,700 acres, burned at least 20 structures and has resulted in one fatality.
Hernandez would not go into details of how the person died. He said the 250+ firefighters on the scene have stopped the forward progress of the fire. He said the fire started in the East Lake area, and then followed the Highway 395 corridor north, where it was stopped just south of Galena High School.
Highway 395 will be closed until further notice due to damage to debris and damage to guard rails, power poles and other item near the roadway. Gov. Brian Sandoval told state workers who commute by this route to stay home Friday. Evacuations have been lifted for the Galena area. About 2,000 people are still unable to go back to their homes tonight.
Hernandez said firefighters saved more than 800 homes that were in the path of this destructive fire.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
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UPDATE 9PM: Reno Fire officials report forward progress on Washoe Drive fire has stopped. Fire behavior is moderating due to diminishing winds, lowering termperatures and increasing humidity/moisture moving over the Sierra Nevada/Carson Range. Fire burns more than 3,000 acres with zero containment; 10,000 evacuated; no count on home and structure losses.

U.S. Highway-395 remains closed between 1.8 miles north of Carson City to the Junction of SR 341/431 (Mt. Rose Junction) in south Reno. U.S. Highway 395 could remained closed on Friday (1/20) through the morning commute - make alternate plans.
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At 4:40 pm Thursday, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, under his constitutional and statutory authority, made a state declaration of emergency which qualifies local governments for federal assistance associated with this event. The National Guard is on standby at the request of Sandoval and Washoe County. California has also provided fire assistance as part of a Governor to Governor agreement with Jerry Brown.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been and are being affected by this fire,” Sandoval said. “Declaring a state of emergency ensures that every resource from the local, state and federal level is available to assist. The Nevada Division of Forestry and the Department of Public Safety have also engaged with local responders.”
Additionally, Nevada has been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG). As a result, Nevada is eligible for up to 75 percent funding assistance for eligible costs. The request was made by the Nevada Division of Forestry on behalf of Washoe County at the onset of the fire.

More below the fold.

A prescribed fire in the Angora area near Tahoe Mountain will begin Thursday and in the Ward Canyon area over the weekend weather permitting, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has approved a more than 10,000 acre project to reduce wildfire risk to communities at Lake Tahoe's South Shore a...

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has approved a project that will reduce wildfire risk to communities on Lake Tahoe's South Shore and restore the health of the area's forests. The South Shore Fuel Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project will thin trees and brush on more than 10,000 acres of national forest system land from the Nevada state line to Cascade Lake.

Prescribed fire operations will continue on Friday at South Lake Tahoe near Meyers, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Smoke will be visible throughout the area.

By Kristi Boosman
To a packed house of observers, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board voted to approve Phase 1 of the Homewood Mountain Resort Ski Area Master Plan at their monthly meeting on Wednesday, December 14.

By Lisa Herron
U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews are scheduled to resume prescribed fire operations on the south side of the intersection of Pioneer Trail and U.S. Highway 50 in the community of Meyers near South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, Nov. 30, weather permitting.

By Peter Brumis
The Tahoe Resource Conservation District has released a series of educational posters which identify some of the biggest threats to Lake Tahoe Basin, as well as what visitors, residents and even kids can do to help. Titled “Tahoe’s Most un-Wanted,” the first three posters feature aquatic invasive species, fine sediments from runoff and invasive weeds, and are free to pick up or request for local schools, businesses and other organizations who would like to display them publicly.

RENO, Nev. (AP) - Officials say a wind-whipped wildfire in Reno has destroyed 20 homes, injured several people and forced evacuations.Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez tells the Reno Gazette-Jou...

By John Heil
California’s landscapes are under siege from a host of threats. Catastrophic wildfire, climate change, invasive species and increasing human population put these delicate ecosystems at risk. The U.S. Forest Service has recognized and battled these threats for decades, but recently the agency recognized the need for a more focused approach on Ecological Restoration as the primary goal for all land management actions.

A prescribed forest burn in the Angora fire area caused quite a stir earlier this month after wind gusts of up to 50 mph carried some of the burn slash piles and brush further than what was comfortable for nearby homeowners.
The U.S. Forest Service, however, says that at no point did the prescribed fire, which consisted mostly of slash piles and dead trees, get out of hand and the agency remains both cautious about its undertaking and empathetic to nearby neighbors who rebuilt their homes following the June 2007 Angora fire.