Two fires north of Lake Tahoe keeping firefighters busy

MONDAY UPDATE: As of 9 a.m., the fire has burned about 500 acres and is being worked on by 200 personnel from federal, state, and local fire agencies. The fire has been renamed the Gold Ranch Fire. Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District said their focus today is to maintain the progress they have made as winds pick up this afternoon and there is a Red Flag warning for the area. 400 homes are threatened. The goal is to hold fire south of Interstate 80, north of Garson Road. Evacuations remain in effect, and the evacuation map remains the same. A Type 3 incident management team has been ordered.

For the Pass Fire near the Truckee Safeway, crews worked hard throughout the night to identify and cool any hot spots. The fire is now 65 percent contained. Additional crews will be working on the fire line today. All evacuation warnings have been lifted.

Power is still out for almost 6300 NV Energy customers due to the fire, and about 170 Liberty Utilities customers.

11PM Update: Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District is reporting progress on the Quilicy Fire. It is now 400 acres in size. The fire was started by a vehicle fire on I-80 and they ask the public to avoid the Gold Ranch/Verdi area. Eastbound Interstate 80 is currently closed at the state line. Washoe County Emergency Management said there are evacuations in the Gold Ranch area of Verdi. An evacuation center is located at the Northwest Library, 2325 Robb Drive. Check perimetermap.com for evacuation areas.

Truckee Fire Protection District said the Pass Fire is remaining at 3.3 acres and is 38 percent contained tonight. This was their last update for the night. Crews will be working through the night and into tomorrow.
Evacuation Warnings have been lifted in Truckee for zones TRK-E128, E118, and E148. An evacuation warning for Zone TRK-E145 is STILL in place due to the Pass Fire burning near Coyote Moon Golf Course.

The cause of this incident remains under investigation.

TRUCKEE, Calif. - There were two fires north of Lake Tahoe on Sunday, one in Truckee and the other in Verdi. The first one started behind the Truckee Safeway around 3 p.m. Truckee Fire was dispatched to the reported vegetation fire with other resources from CAL FIRE NEU, USFS, Northstar Fire, Olympic Valley Fire, North Tahoe Fire, and North Lake Tahoe Fire responded and are working to contain the fire. According to CHP-Truckee, multiple aircraft were on the scene and helped ground crews. At about 4:10 p.m. crews had a hose line around the fire perimeter. The fire, named the Pass Fire, is approximately 3.3 acres in size and is 20 percent contained. The cause is under investigation. There are evacuation warnings still in place.

The second fire, called the Quilicy Fire, started on I80 when a car caught fire around 7:30 p.m. Eastbound traffic is currently being turned around at Hirschdale due to the vegetation fire near the Nevada State line. I-80 Westbound traffic is currently unaffected.

The fire is approximately 300 acres. Truckee Meadows Fire asks people to avoid the Gold Ranch/Verdi area. Eastbound Interstate 80 is currently closed at the state line.

The Quilicy Fire has caused a power outage that is affecting the entire north side of the Liberty Utilities service territory. NV Energy has cut power to the transmission line servicing this area due to the fire. There is no restoration time currently available.