Some residents allowed back into homes in Davis Fire area as crews continue to gain ground
Submitted by paula on Thu, 09/12/2024 - 5:14pm
WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. - Crews have continued to make good headway on the Davis Fire on Thursday. All containment lines in place around the Davis Fire perimeter have been held, and hand crews will continue to shore up the lines (going back 20-100 feet into the fire area).
A couple of isolated unburned pocket areas - a total of 10-20 acres are producing the smoke seen in the area on Thursday. Firefighters want to burn them out and minimize future smoke on the fire. There was no change to the fire acreage during the day and remains at 5,824 acres.
Through the strong work and dedicated efforts of ground crews daily and nightly, the fire experienced minimal growth yesterday. This progress was achieved despite challenging weather conditions, the remote and rugged terrain in the western area, and the complexities of the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) environment. Yesterday, aircraft operations were suspended after 9 a.m. as winds reached 75 mph on the ridgetops, with gusts of up to 54 mph in the valleys. Through diligent work of firefighters extinguishing hot spots near the perimeter and continuously patrolling unburned areas looking for any new spots, the fire stayed within its footprint.
The southern perimeter of the fire, from Highway 580 in Washoe Valley to the upper edge near Mount Rose, is largely secured with a fire hose and handline. Dozer lines and hose lays have been strategically placed to protect all communities located south-southwest of Highway 431 near Galena Forest and Callahan. Water tenders and portable water tanks are set up in place to make water usage readily available.
Some residents were allowed back into their homes Thursday as the evacuation zones changed. See https://perimetermap.com/ for details and the map above.
Some segments of the Mt. Rose Highway reopened, many to residents only. Consult https://www.nvroads.com/ for up-to-minute information.
There will be another community fire meeting on Friday, September 13 at 7 p.m. at 1200 Franklin Way, Sparks, Nev. The meeting will be live streamed on the Davis Fire You Tube page at https://www.youtube.com/@davisfireinfo.